Holding You Closer Than Most
by BePassionate24
Summary: Elena had listened to what everyone else had wanted for her life. But, when she marries Damon on the persistence of her parents. What happens when one morning Damon wakes up to find his wife gone and the only thing left behind her is a paper trail explaining her one regret… that her heart had always belonged to another. A/U & All Human.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So Here's my New Story..Let me know what you think...I honestly think that this is a result of listening to Ron Pope's "Heartfelt Lies" on a loop. :) The Title is also from Ron Pope's Song..A Drop in the Ocean. **

**This Story will mostly focus around Elena/Stefan and on occasion Damon...But, it will also be Angst/Romance filled and you might need a tissue!**

**I Do Not Own the Vampire Diaries..I just use the characters for my own enjoyment!**

**Thanks For Reading! :)**

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**CHAPTER ONE-Holding You Closer Than Most**

She had agreed to marry his brother more out of convenience than out of love. Because she knew that she would never been able to have the person that she had always loved, _him._ Elena had begged him to stay, that maybe one day they could really have what they had wanted, _each other_. But, she knew deep down that she had to let him go. The way he held her for the last time in the fancy hotel room that he had gotten after he went off on a drunken binge…The night he found out that she was engaged to his older brother, which was the same night that he promised her the world.

"We tried….I'm sorry…baby. I am so sorry." Elena pleaded with him as she sat on the edge of the hotel room bed, placing her jeans back onto her body as tears filled her big brown eyes and she watched him drink his fifth brandy of the night, barely swallowing it down as he watched her prepare herself to go back to the one person that he didn't want to have her.

"Stay with me…Please, Elena. He doesn't love you…He never will." Stefan commented as he bent down in front of her and pleaded with her to stay by his side, but he could tell from the confusion in her eyes that it was useless. She had made up her mind.

"Stefan, I'll find you one day. I promise you, I'll always love you." She commented in a strangled tone as she reached out and touched his cheeks with both of her cool hands. Elena watched as he closed his green eyes to her soft and warm touch and a tear slipped out of the already forming pools of water in her brown eyes.

"I love you. I love you so damn much…I won't give you up, he doesn't deserve you!" Stefan told her as he leaned into her with the smell of brandy on his breath and kissed her once more, savoring the taste of pineapple on her lips and the smell of lavender on her neck.

Elena wrapped her small olive colored arms around his shoulders and cried into them. The time of their secret affair had finally come to an end and tomorrow morning, they would both need to face the reality of being without one another, to put up the blinders of a false love to other people that they both had made fake promises too, time and time again. _To love, to cherish in sickness and in health for as long as they shall live. _

She had driven out to California to see him. She didn't give a damn that she was supposed to be marrying his brother in the early morning hours in a garden that was outside of San Diego. She had to see Stefan one more time, before she signed herself up for a fate that she wasn't supposed to be living. But, just like everyone else around her, they had told her that Damon was the good guy. That the money that he had made with his company of selling stocks overseas would provide for Elena and that she would be happy in his mansion of a house on the hills of San Diego.

Yet, no one had any idea that her heart had belonged to his brother from the moment that she had stepped into the small bar & grill, asking about the position that they had posted on their small struggling bar. _"Waitress needed." _Elena had finished up school and was desperate for any sort of job just to give her life the kick start that she needed. But she had never expected to fall fast and hard for Stefan Salvatore, the bartender and the handsome green eyed young man that she had spent hours studying from a far, trying to figure out what his deal was.

* * *

As Elena got up and began to pack her things that were not scattered all around the hotel room, she had felt his eyes on her and then she stopped suddenly as she turned towards him. His brown hair was a mess and he now held a bottle of alcohol in his hand as he watched her, fading from his finger tips.

"You remember the night that you came to me, crying because your parents had said that I was all wrong for you….Did you believe them, when they told you that I was the poor brother, the one that would probably never amount to anything and would always live in his older brother's shadow…" Stefan swallowed hard as he took a swig of the bottle and then rested his eyes on the necklace around her neck. It was a golden chain with a shiny diamond that he had given her years ago when this had all started and he had told her to never take it off, no matter what.

"Baby, if I believed them…I won't be here…I love you. But…." Elena began to say as she turned to face him and then she locked her eyes on his hazy green orbs. He was wearing her favorite cotton black t-shirt that showed off the curves of his biceps and the muscles underneath and if it was up to her, she would of spent hours just laying with him and running her fingers up and down his chest.

"I get it. Elena, your just following the rules...Going along with whatever everyone else wants you to do and not listening to a damn thing that you want! Damon, my brother. He can provide for you, he can give you 5 kids, a mansion of a house, a nice car and pay off all of your bills. He can be the one to give you the life that I probably never could…." Stefan said as he let go of the bottle in his hands and watched as its contents spilled onto the cream colored rug.

"Do you think I want this…? Do you think that I want to be saying my vows and looking him the eyes tomorrow...Praying and hoping that you will bust down the door and stop it all! That you will take me away from this life that everyone else wants, but me. If I had a choice, I would…I would stay, I would make love to you until you're wouldn't be able to forget me without it searing the back of your eyelids. They all have told me over and over again, how glad they were that I choose him. But, they have no idea that my heart….my heart has always chosen you. I love you, Stefan and I will regret every single day of leaving..I will regret every single day that I wake up next to him and wish that it was you…that it was your eyes looking back at me and your hands that get to hold me tight." Elena told with him a shaky breath as she wiped away at the tears in her eyes and wondering when was it that this, nightmare of having to choose between the Salvatore boys had all began.

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**Love it...Hate it?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here is Chapter Two! Hope you all like it and that it clears up some confusion as to why she is agreeing to marry Damon...**

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**CHAPTER TWO-Holding You Closer Than Most-**

Her mother's words had rang inside of her head as she left the hotel room, early the next morning. _"Stefan is not for you! So, you choose wisely because if you don't, we will all be on the streets."_ She spat at her as she had struggled to get up from her hospital bed. Elena's mother had been dying of cancer and it wasn't easy for her to watch. Yet, she knew that the mounting medical bills and the fact that her parents had been struggling to stay afloat with society had been a burden on them all. It was heart wrenching to watch Jeremy, her younger brother have to sell his favorite car and drop out of college, just to get a full time job to help the family out as well. But, it still wasn't enough...her families' home was being put up for auction and it was the house that she had grown up in and had planned on passing down to her own children one day. Elena had loved that house with its Victorian style design and the white wraparound porch that looked out onto a small pond in the backyard. She missed the nights were she would sit on the porch swing outside and daydream about a life that she had always wanted.

Elena had always done everything that she could for her family, because they had sacrificed everything for her and her younger brother. Her parents had worked their whole lives to give their children everything that they could. That was up until the point that her mother had gotten sick and then they had all looked to Elena to help them, to keep they from becoming the one thing she knew that both her mother and father couldn't bare to dream of, homeless and broke beyond relief.

So, when she had heard about the waitress job and had applied for it, not to long after graduating with a degree, that she knew would probably get her nowhere. She had told her mother about the Salvatore boys and how she had become fond of the youngest, Stefan. Yet, her mother had refused to listen to Elena tell her that she was falling for him, that she had believed that he would become a successful man and that he would one day provide for her.

Elena's mother had just told her to forget. To break it off with him, because Stefan could never become the man that could give her a life worth living. To go for someone that could for sure be able to provide for her, like Stefan's older brother, Damon. Her parents had meet Damon once when Elena had gone out on a date with him, just to appease them. Her father had told her that Damon looked like a good guy and that she should consider, seeing him more often. Yet, neither of them knew that Elena had secretly still been seeing Stefan on the side, without telling anyone. She had hidden it from her friends and her parents for months as she went out with Damon too and acted as if she was happy with him glued to her side. But, really she was dying to tell them that it was all an act, that she hated when he kissed her and held her hand.

Damon Salvatore was handsome and successful. He was a business man and had built on the empire that his parents had left behind. Damon & Stefan's parents had always picked sides between the boys and they had always seemed to favorite their eldest son. Yet, Stefan had a heart of gold and the only mistake that he had made was to not take the opportunity to go into the corporate business world like his brother had. Stefan had moved out on his own with the little money that he had saved up. And had chosen a life that his parent's had frowned upon, opening up a bar & grill and being the head bartender and manager of a downtown restaurant. Yet, Stefan didn't seem to care what they thought, because he loved being around the people and having that connection with so many that would walk through the doors of the Pinnacle Bar & Grill.

* * *

Elena let out a huff as she walked into the lavish hotel room that she was supposed to be meeting her bridesmaids at. She had never told her two closest friends, Caroline and Bonnie about where her heart really lied and with who. That, Elena was madly in love with Stefan. And that she was just marrying Damon for the fact that he could be the one to help her struggling family survive. Yet, she would lie to herself and tell her own heart that maybe they were all right. She would learn to love Damon, over time and he would provide for her.

Her father's words had burned into her mind as she walked into the room that held her lace, short sleeve beautiful wedding dress. _"Elena, give Damon a chance and let go of whatever doubts you have about this. He's the one that could provide for you and he'll love you."_ Her father had told her a few days after her family had learned about her engagement to him. She honestly wasn't even sure why she was going through with it. But then, tragedy struck her family and her mother had died from the cancer and had left her family with thousands of dollars in medical bills from her treatments. Elena then knew what she had to do. She had to accept his proposal of marriage, even if her heart had been elsewhere the whole time and her mind had screamed at her that this whole thing was wrong.

Her thoughts became mixed with the familiar shrills and shrieks of her bridesmaids coming into the room and they all quickly faded when Caroline placed a bag of makeup down onto the bed, to get her ready.

"Oh My God, Elena! You look beautiful." Caroline had told her as she looked over at her best friend who had already slipped into her overly expensive wedding dress. Her dark brown hair had fallen to her shoulders and was in loose curls as she gave Caroline, her usual fake smile. "Thank you." She told her as she hugged her tightly. Elena had lived in the silence of not telling her best friends about her affair with her fiancé's brother and it was killing her to lie to them. But, it was worse because she knew that she was indeed lying to herself about who she was supposed to be with.

"Are you ready, for this? Elena, you're getting married today! Oh, Damon is such a lucky man to have you in his life; you're going to be a beautiful bride!" Bonnie gushed as she helped pin Elena's long brown locks of hair back with bobby pins and they both watched in the mirror as Caroline started to apply dabs of makeup to her olive colored skin.

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**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! :) I hope that this somewhat cleared up why Elena agreed to marry Damon and why she can't be with Stefan in the moment...But, that will change of course. **

**Thanks for reading and UNTIL NEXT TIME! :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE-Holding You Closer Than Most-**

Elena had been silent for the most part as Caroline and Bonnie tended to her dress and made the last adjustments to make it shorter, so that she wouldn't have to change out of it and change into something new before the reception.

Her thoughts were mixed with fear and the scent of Stefan from last night...She couldn't for the life of her get the image of his broken expression out of her mind. Elena had hated that she had left in the early morning after they had made love for hours and had whispered sweet goodbyes to one another that they both knew that neither of them could have the courage to face in the hazy morning hours of her wedding day.

Bonnie must have noticed her day dreaming because she had nudged her elbow and then when that didn't work, she had resorted to tapping her on the shoulder to get attention. "Earth to Elena! What is wrong with you this morning?" Bonnie whined as she gave Caroline a knowing look.

"Yeah…What is wrong with you…You've been all…zoning out since we walked into the room, an hour ago. Elena, are you getting cold feet?" Caroline laughed as she looked at Elena, who was still lost in her own thoughts and praying that she could hold up the charade in front of her two best friends..Whom she had known since childhood and who both knew everything about her.

"No, I'm fine." She lied in a voice that was above a whisper as she turned to look at her stunning makeup and glittering eye lids that was courtesy of Caroline and thought to herself how much she would regret the day that she married Damon for the rest of her life.

* * *

Stefan had sat silent as he listened to Damon talk about his honeymoon plans to Paris or Fiji with Elena. He had probably already had about a beer or two by the time Damon had called him and told him to get ready and be at the church for the ceremony. He knew that he was probably sinning by going to church half drunk. But it didn't compare to the sins that he had already committed, sleeping with his brother's fiancée and the love of his life, the night before she was supposed to marry another man.

It was beyond painful for Stefan, when he stood by his brother and watched Elena and Damon exchange their vows. Yet, he somehow managed to grit his teeth through the most agonizing part. _"If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together – let them speak now or forever hold their peace."_

* * *

Stefan didn't really care that he could already feel the buzz of the alcohol streaming through his veins as he walked into the reception hall, after the ceremony was over and sat behind the bar. He had been watching Elena smiling and greeting everyone with a gleeful smile on her face. But, he knew that it was all for show, it was fake. Because Stefan knew her and he knew that just as much as she was hating this night, she was just playing her part for the crowd that had gathered to wish the newlyweds well.

Stefan had about enough though when he had watched his brother kiss her and whisper something into her ear, as he locked his eyes on them. It was making him sick and wanting to vomit as he watched them dance so close to each other on the dance floor as they danced to some song that Stefan knew that Elena had always told him, that she hated.

By the time he had gotten his drink and downed it quickly. The music had switched to a different song and Stefan was slumped over the bar. But just as he took a deep breath to relieve some pressure on his already dying heart. He felt it, her presence and the familiarity of the only thing that could signal that she was near him, her floral perfume.

"I thought you weren't going to show." Elena said quietly as she took a seat next to him and turned her back towards the crowd of people that were all dancing with someone.

"He's my brother, Elena." Stefan said coldly as he glared at her.

He hated being this way with her. But, it was his defense mechanism from feeling like his beating heart was being pulled out of his chest, string by slim string with every glance that she threw his way. He watched as she scrunched her nose at him and then she locked her mesmerizing brown eyes with his now darkened and hazy glare.

"If I had a choice….You know that I would have never-." Elena said as she cleared the lump in her throat, bringing up her right hand to caress his. But just as quickly as she reached up to grab his hand, he pulled away.

"You would be with me…You would have never chosen him…They could have found another way of getting money and helping themselves financially. This isn't right…it's like an arraigned marriage...gone wrong." Stefan told her as he looked away from her and spoke.

"Stefan, Please…Be hap-." Elena began to say as Stefan exhaled deeply and gave her an almost hateful look."

"What? Be happy for you! That's one thing that I will never be able to do. The only way that I would be happy is, if you walked up to him right now and told him the truth..that you don't love him..that your just using him for the money that he has!" Stefan shot back.

"You know that I can't do that." She told him quietly.

"Then, I'll never be happy for you…I will never be happy for you, until you wake up and realize that it's me that you're supposed to be with!" Stefan said as he got up from his bar stool and then he watched as she got up as well, straightening out the fabric on her off white wedding dress.

"Please…Stefan. You need to let me go." Elena begged.

"Let you go? No. I will never let you go. Even when your old and have wrinkles on your skin...I will love you until the day that I die. But, maybe it would be easier if you hated me…or if I left, maybe that would sooth the pain in my heart, whenever I see you with him." Stefan told her sadly.

Elena stood with her hands on her hips as tears began to creep on her face as she looked around the room and noticed that Damon had disappeared and that no one else seemed to be focused on the two of them talking at the bar at all. Everyone else was dancing or eating and just enjoying the night.

"Where would you go?" Elena asked.

She watched as Stefan hung his head low and then he whipped what looked like a fallen tear from his own sorrowful green eyes as he looked back up at her matching watery eyes.

"Some place you and I had always dreamed about. I love you, Elena and it won't matter how many years go by. I will never stop loving you." Stefan said as he got closer to her and then he gently wrapped his arms around her small frame.

He felt her exhale deeply as she buried her head into the crook of his neck and he held her tighter as he inhaled every inch of her, trying to memorize the way that her body felt molded to his.

"I love you…I don't want you to go. Please, I love you and I promise you, that if I ever find a way out of this…I will-." Elena began to say as she cried into the fabric of his black suit.

He watched her lift her head up to look at him and he could see the hurt in her eyes as he softly brought his hand up to caress the side of her face. "Don't you ever forget me. Remember that where ever I am, I will always carry a part of your heart within me…You're the one person in my whole entire life that has shown me what love truly is and I will never ever forget that. Thank my sweet angel for showing me how to love." Stefan said as he kissed her lips gently and then slowly stepped away from her.

"Goodbye, my love." Stefan said at just above a whisper as he turned his back and started walking out of the reception hall and forced himself not to look back at her crying face. Because, he knew that if he had just turned back around to get one last glance of her face, he would have lost his composure and told Damon that Elena never loved him. As much as it torn his heart and soul up to walk away from her, Stefan knew that he had just given her a chance at a good life, with someone that would look after her.

* * *

She watched him leave as she rushed into the bathroom and hid out…more like cried her eyes out. Just as she wiped away the mascara and cleaned her tear stained face, Caroline walked into the restroom and gave her a worried look.

"What's going on? Elena, I just ran into Stefan and he was acting like he was telling me goodbye...He told me look after you..What's going on with you two?" Caroline questioned as she walked over to Elena and embraced her.

As Caroline held her tightly in her arms and soothed her cries, Elena murmured as she sobbed into her shoulder and finally let out the weight of lies that she had been hiding for so long. "I loved him; Caroline...It's always been him. It's always going to be Stefan that I'm going to love..not, Damon."

* * *

As Stefan walked out into the parking lot, it took everything within himself to not go back into the reception hall and take her away from his own brother. But, he respected her wishes and all he had ever wanted was for her to be happy, even if it killed him to do so. Maybe everyone was right about them; a love like theirs never could last.

Yet, that night as he drove out of California without looking back, he thought about her words the night before her wedding…. _"Stefan, I'll find you one day. I promise you, I'll always love you. Never forget that."_

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**A/N: Hey all...Hope you all didn't need a tissue for this update..I know I did! Anyways, My next update will do a bit of a time jump (approx. 3 years later...) **

**THANKS FOR READING!**

**FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER FOR UPDATES AND STUFF: Green_Eyes1989. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey All! Thank you guys so much for the reviews to this story. To be honest, it's one of my favorites! :) **

**Anyways, as I said before this update does a bit of time jump...It's set 3 years later after Elena & Damon's wedding and after Stefan pretty much leaves them all in California without looking back.**

**Follow me on Twitter for updates: Green_Eyes1989 **

**ENJOY AND THANKS FOR READING! UNTIL NEXT TIME. :) **

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**CHAPTER FOUR-Holding You Closer Than Most-**

**_3 years later….._**

Italy. Amalfi. That's where he had gone to escape her and the every memory that he had of her brown doe eyes and that dark brown hair that had haunted his dreams. He had left California without looking back and without trying not to think about the sadness that he had brought to her with his icy and hurtful words. Although, Stefan truthfully had meant it….He would always love her...no matter how many years had separated them. She was his and he was hers, always. It was that simple.

Yet, for Stefan even if it had been 3 years since he had held her hand or heard her soft voice tell him that she loved him over anyone else. It was hard to get over the fact that she was with Damon, the one person that pushed Elena towards Damon, was him and at times he felt guilty for it. It wasn't like he hated her anymore for her choice, it wasn't that..It was the fact that every time he would think about her, he felt a piece of him die...Right along with her memory.

As he sat on the dock of bay that overlooked the town square, he thought about how her life had turned out, if she was happy like she had told him that she was, even if he knew that she was lying. But, his mind couldn't drift off into the territory of her having children with his brother; it was too painful to think about her having his brother's children, even if she was married to him.

Stefan had done good for himself, he had saved up enough money after he had sold the bar and then he took that money and invested it into a small run down café in Almalfi, that he had bought by the water. He had decided on renovating it and turning it into something that he would be proud of to call his own.

He had known that moving on was one of the hardest things, but he was thankful for meeting one of the only American's in Amalfi that he felt he could relate too. She was blonde and tall, with the same haunting brown eyes as Elena's. She was witty and he could talk to her for days as if he had known her his whole life. Alexia Branson was her name and over the last three years, Stefan and Alexia had become inseparable. Alexia had known almost everything about him, including his undying love and devotion that he had for a woman that was married to his own brother and that was thousands of miles away from him.

Alexia had told Stefan to just call her "Lexi" since she had thought that her name was a bit old fashioned but she still loved the fact that when he was mad at her. Stefan would call her by her full name, as if he was scolding a small child. Yet, Lexi didn't care; she would just tell him to deal with it and just go back to whatever he had been doing before she had distracted him. She was like that, stubborn, up front and sometimes it was a bit intimidating for all the guys that she would start dating and then would have to stop because they would always tell her that she wasn't like all the others, behaved and quiet.

But for some reason, Stefan understood her. They held an understanding for each other and maybe it was the fact that they had both had their hearts broken and it had taken years to get over the ones that they had always told themselves that they would never leave.

As Stefan got up off of the dock, he took in the smell of the ocean and the peace that he felt out by the water as he walked back towards the direction of his soon to be bar and got himself mentally prepared for the renovations of turning it into what he could visualize it being. When Stefan had bought the coffee shop and was deciding whether to make it into a bar, Lexi had made sure to give her input as she helped him with it and today was one of those days.

He opened the front door to the shop as he saw her walk past him with a gleeful smile.

"Hey Stranger, Thought that you might of fell into the water." She said jokingly as she walked past him with a box.

"No, just spent my time out there…thinking about stuff…" Stefan told her as he walked over to the bar table and sat on a bar stool.

"Thinking about the bar and or coffee shop? Just do like you know, half coffee shop...half bar." She commented as she placed a box of Styrofoam cups onto the floor and raised her head to look over at him, she could see that he was already shaking his head.

"I can't do that Lex. Seriously? All the Italians are going to be like…look at this dumb American he thinks he can do whatever he wants…because he has money…" Stefan told with a shrug of his shoulders as he gave her a knowing look.

"Just because you now have money...doesn't mean anything. Money doesn't make the man...Stefan. Remember that!" Lexi told him as she shook her head in disappointment. That was one thing he still had trouble accepting. Money wasn't everything.

Stefan watched as Lexi disappeared into the back room, where they had been planning to place a kitchen. "So, have you at least thought about what you're going to name it…I mean, once you get it all done and functional?" Lexi shouted from the back room as she heard Stefan let out a laugh.

"What do you think I'm going to name it?" He asked her as he heard her footsteps coming back towards him. He was sitting on a barstool over a little table that was covered with designs and random ideas of what he wanted the place to look like and it was starting to make his head hurt.

"Oh, I don't know…Lexi's?" She asked with a hopeful tone in her voice as she pushed a strand of her long blonde hair behind her ears and he could see the hope in her eyes diminish when he shook his head and looked over at her. "Wrong! Guess again." He told her.

Lexi frowned at him a bit and then she let out a huff as she looked him over. "Oh, Stefan…you wouldn't…it's been three years, for all you know…she's forgotten you by now and has like 10 babies by that slim ball brother of yours! You're not over her...God! You know what; you need to go on a date…like with one of these Italian women that "accidently" walk in here every other day just to get a glimpse of their gorgeous and toned…Stefano!" Lexi said with a laugh as she rolled her brown eyes and then she walked over to him and sat across from him with her legs crossed over each other on the light brown bar stools.

She watched Stefan rub his temples in frustration as he let out a huff. "Lexi, I appreciate everything that you've done for me. But, let me at least name my own damn bar!" He told her as he crumpled up a piece of paper and playfully threw it at her.

Lexi rolled her eyes once again as she dodged the piece of paper and then stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "Fine, Boss man. It is your bar after all…Do what you want."

Stefan gave her a displeased look as he went back to looking over the blue prints for the bar. But he lifted his head up briskly when Lexi's curious voice broke his train of thought.

"Stefan, do you even still keep in touch your brother and his wife…I mean, I know that you loved her. But, your brother…do you still talk to him?" she asked him as she hopped off the bar stool.

Lexi watched as Stefan shook his head. "No, I haven't heard from either of them or seen them since that night of their wedding. Three years ago. I didn't want to keep in contact with either of them, because it hurt too much. But, now that you mention it…maybe I should call them and catch up." He told her solemnly.

Stefan watched as Lexi shrugged her shoulders and gave him a saddened look. "That's a shame really. Maybe you should…They have no idea where you are, Stefan. For all you know, they probably think your dead."

Stefan titled his head and let out a chuckle. "Thanks for being so positive, Lex."

Lexi grinned at him widely and then she laughed. "Anytime, Friend. That's why you keep me around, isn't it?"

"Yeah..That and to make fun of your dating choices." Stefan told her.

Lexi rolled her eyes at him as she placed her hands on her hips. "Hey, that was low."

"Not as low as you were getting on the dance floor last night with…What was his name?" Stefan asked her with a smile.

"I was not! He wasn't into me and his name was Adrian." She commented innocently.

"Oh yeah..Sure. He wasn't into you..At. All. I heard him talking to you, especially when he said…Alexia….Your Beautiful…Your blonde hair smells like large round, lemons!" Stefan mocked in his best Italian accent.

"Oh Shut up! He did not say that!" Lexi argued.

"Yes…He did. But, for some reason…I don't think he was talking about your hair." Stefan told her with a smirk on his face.

"You're horrible!" Lexi told him with a huff as she turned to leave the room. But, Stefan's voice stopped her movements.

"That's why you love me! You'll get over it." Stefan told her with a laugh as he watched her walk off and her blonde hair swayed from side to side.

* * *

She tried her hardest not to think about him, yet on the nights that she lay in Damon's arms…Her mind couldn't help but fill with the thoughts of what he was doing…if he was okay.

Elena had spent the last three years replaying scenarios of meeting up with him again in her head. But, she knew that after what he had told her the night of her wedding all those years ago…that she would remember him, every single day and that it was indeed over between them.

She never told Damon about it. Yet, he always wondered on specific days, why his wife seemed distant and hardly spoke to him. So, after a few months of this push and pull feeling of wanting her to be happy and needing her to get over whatever this was that seemed to consume her thoughts and change her mood to be almost like a sense of depression. He decided that he would surprise her.

Elena was in their bedroom, getting out of the shower and drying her wet hair. Just as she was combing her long brown hair out, Damon appeared in their room and gave her a weak smile.

"Hey, Beautiful." He commented as he watched her dry her hair for a bit and then he walked over to her and kissed her cheek, gently.

Elena smiled slightly as she leaned in his body and then she turned to wrap her small arms around him, returning his loving gaze with a small embrace.

"So, I was thinking that you and I could take a trip for a little bit." Damon told her.

Elena raised her head up off of his shoulder and locked her eyes with his. "Really?" She asked in a surprised tone.

"Where would we go?" She asked him.

Elena watched as Damon let out a laugh and then he explained. "I have to go on a business trip for a week or so and I figured why not, you come with me…Your work here, can wait and…I've missed you." Damon told her gleefully as he watched her face light up with excitement and then she nodded her head yes.

"Sure, where are we going?" Elena asked curiously as she watched Damon shrug his shoulders.

"Ehh…The business trip is to France. But, I was thinking we could go to Italy too…You know, visit the coast...See some of my family and take in the sights." He told her casually.

Elena exhaled a deep breath as she gave him a gleeful smile. A smile, that Damon hadn't seen on her face since the night before her wedding day. Elena wrapped her arms around him once again and gave him a tight hug as she inhaled deeply and then she spoke. "I've always wanted to go to Italy…Heard that the coast is beautiful!" She told him as she buried her face into his shoulder, kissing it lightly.

Damon wrapped his arms tightly around her as he kissed her cheeks and then he said in a happy tone. "Pack your bags sweetheart...We're leaving in five days."

"Can't wait!" Elena commented excitedly as she let go of Damon and then went back to drying her hair.

* * *

There was no doubt in his mind that he had done the right thing by leaving. Yet it was funny because for Stefan, every petite brunette with brown eyes or every girl with dark olive colored skin, reminded him of Elena.

Even Lexi had noticed it one night when they were painting the bar and prepping it for their opening, which was in a few weeks.

He watched as Lexi put down the black handle of the roller on the floor and glanced over at him.

"What?" He asked with a laugh as she shook her blonde head.

"You know that girl that I forced you to go out with a few weeks ago. I saw her at the market…Stefan, you never called her back." Lexi scolded him in an annoyed tone.

"Yeah..So?" He asked as he raised his eye brows at her. He didn't really think much of it. She was a beautiful girl, but she just kept talking about herself and for one, he hated that.

"Well, she wants another date with you. And…I set you both up tonight." Lexi winked at him as she watched the smile on his lips turn into a straight line. He was slightly irritated by her admission.

"What? I want you to move on from your ghost version..of…Elena." Lexi said as she stretched out the last syllabus on Elena's name.

Stefan put down the paint brush that he was holding in his left hand and then looked over at Lexi with agitation in his green eyes. "You've never even met Elena." He commented quietly.

Lexi let out a huff and then a forced laugh as she glanced in his direction and then spoke. "Well, if I ever get the chance to meet her. I'll tell her that she's a big idiot for making the wrong choice."

"Alexia! That's rude." Stefan scolded.

"Oh, Now you're using my full name…aren't you just sooo cute! Sorry that I just tell you how it is. Sorry for being your voice of reason...Speaking of voice of reason… You and your little French date, will be meeting at the Ristorante Marina Grande at 7pm sharp…It's by the beach…I'm sure she will love it." Lexi commented with a wink as she turned back to the half painted cream colored wall and then began to finish it up.

"Seriosuly?" Stefan asked.

He watched as Lexi nodded in agreement and then with a smile said. "Yes! Because, I lied and told her that I was your sister and that you hadn't been on a date in years…that you need some loving…If you get what I mean..Plus, she's a brunette and we all know how much you just love brunettes!"

* * *

**A/N: I honestly LOVED the idea for bringing Lexi into this story and so for whoever suggested it..THANK YOU! :) Hoped you liked this update!**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE **

By the time that Lexi had gotten into the bar the next morning, with paint colors and decorating magazines in her hands. Stefan still hadn't shown up for their early 7:30am meetings, which always seemed to include cappuccinos' and some sweet pastry from the local market. She had been waiting for over an hour and had already started eating the last pastry in the bag, when she saw him stumbled his way into their business place.

"Whoa, where have you been? Long night?" Lexi instantly asked as she took in his messy brown spiky hair and drowsy looking green eyes.

"Jennifer, the French lovely date of mine..she didn't show up..." Stefan's voice trailed off as he watched Lexi give him a distasteful look.

"Sooo...where were you then, I called your cell phone like 4 times and all my calls went to voice mail. Wait, so if she didn't show up. Then who did?" Lexi asked him with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Well..." Stefan began to say as he walked over to the counter were Lexi had set their drinks as he grabbed his and took a seat next to her.

"Her roommate did." Stefan told her with a bashful smile as he began to replay the night's events in his head. It had all began at the Ristorante Marina Grande. He had shown up earlier than he was supposed to as he waited anxiously for his date with Jennifer. But, his eyes lit up like a small child on Christmas when a pale skinned, dirty blonde walked in, with piercing blue eyes and a almost skin tight red dress on.

"So, is she a brunette?" Lexi asked with a laugh as she took a sip of her coffee and then waited for him to response.

"No…Not. ." Stefan winked at her. Lexi had her legs sprawled across his lap and he had rested his hands on her feet as she turned her head to look over at him.

"Why do I have a feeling that this didn't all continue at the restaurant?" She asked him suspiciously.

Stefan glanced at her with a roll of his green eyes and then he let out a loud laugh before continuing to speak. "Because it didn't….We ate dinner, walked the beach and then.." He began to say as Lexi punched his shoulder playfully.

"Stop! Please…spare me the details about your sex life…Because for the last three years..I've heard enough." She said as she lifted her legs off of his lap and then pushed herself off of the sofa that she had been sitting on.

"What? Lex, you asked me and I was about to tell you." Stefan argued.

"I never said 'oh, Stefan please tell me about the way you sexed up your supposed to be French date's roommate…My god, what's her name?" She pried.

"I thought you said you didn't want to know?" Stefan asked her.

"I can at least know her name…and a few more details." She commented as she took a long sip of her coffee and then placed it on a table that was close by her.

"It's Leah…and, Well. I have another date with her. Plus, I didn't even sleep with her..I was drunk and I am not that kind of guy. So, I walked her home, kissed her on the cheek and then I left." He explained.

"Aha, so you're telling me that you almost gave me a heart attack for nothing?" Lexi asked with a frown on her face as she watched Stefan nod and then throw his hand up at her.

"A heart attack? Wow, is my personal dating life that bad..?" He turned to ask her.

"umm..Yeah. Especially when you used to sleep around with your brother's wife...It's bad!" She said with a smirk as she watched him shake his head, get up from the sofa and then walk away from her, disappearing down the hall of where the bathrooms were.

"You know that I'm right!" Lexi shouted as she picked up her stack of magazines and continued to flip though them, marking each color that she liked with a permanent marker.

"Always!" Stefan shouted back at her.

* * *

Elena knew that she already had about four days to go before she and Damon were to head out to Paris and then the Italian coast line. Which, was her dream to see the coast line and the beautiful blue oceans. Even though she loved the oceans in San Diego, it always seemed like the Italian coast's shore lines were fantastic. It was something about being around the ocean that seemed to mesmerize her and as she started to get her things ready for their trip, she got lost in the thoughts of telling Stefan that once.

They had meet up at his house in the middle of the night and he had bought them red wine and chocolate, because she had complained that she had, had a rough day at work and needed to relax a bit. He had laughed at her when she stumbled though his front door with her black high heels in her hands and a grin on her face as she closed the door with her foot and went directly into his arms, like she had hated the fact of being away from him for a few hours.

Because that's what it was like with him, easy. She didn't have to think about what she was going to say or bite her tongue when she disagreed with something he had said. They had this deep connection that had gone way deeper than just physically. With Stefan, Elena felt like whenever she walked into the room, with just one glance in her direction from him. It didn't matter who else was there with them, everyone else vanished and it was like it was just the two of them and the energy from the frequency that pulled them to each other.

Then, there was Damon. The funny and loyal, Damon Salvatore had shown Elena a different sort of way to live and it was nothing she could have imagined before. But, it wasn't just the money that he had. Damon actually loved her; probably more that she loved him. Which hurt her heart every time that she looked up into his blue eyes and would say those three little words…"I love you."

These three little words were ones, that she had only in her mind reserved for Stefan and whenever she had said them to him in the past, she had meant it each time and none of it was forced. Yet, even in the mist of them breaking up and calling it quits on their little scandalous rendezvous, Elena had never forgotten how his words made her want to never leave his side.

But, now she was stuck in a marriage that she had felt forced into, and in a sense she was forced into it by everyone around her. Over the last three years, Elena had gotten good at playing her role of full time devoted and loving wife. Even if on some days, it made her want to scream at the top of her lungs that she couldn't do this anymore. Yet, Damon and Elena did have their moments of clarity when they both would look over at each other without saying a word and she knew that he probably was saying the same words in his mind. _"What the hell are still doing here, together?"_

Maybe it was the fact that she had felt like deep down, she owed Damon for saving her family from financial ruin and that he had within the last year, paid off all of the left over medical bills from her mom's numerous visits to specialists and to the E.R. But, Elena also knew that somewhere in her heart, she had grown to love this man that she called her Husband.

* * *

The days passed quickly as Elena told Damon about all the things that they were going to do once they got to Paris and then eventually to Italy.

"So, I was thinking that we could go see all of the things in the travel book that I had picked up from the bookstore." She commented as she looked down at the red bold letters of the book in her hands and then back up at Damon who had his legs up on his desk in the office room that he had built, especially for long nights of work when all he really wanted to do was be home. He hated bringing work home with him on nights like these, but it had been building up these last few days and with the fact that they were scheduled to leave the next morning on an early flight, none of the documents about the stocks and shares that he had been working on with his business partner could be put off any longer.

"Yeah, I'd love that. You know what, how about once we get there we can get one of those fancy hotels and just spend a few nights alone…" Damon suggested as he took his feet off the desk and gave Elena a smirk.

Elena instant felt her stomach flip at the idea. Damon was the one who was pushing the subject of having children for far too long now and it wasn't that she didn't want them, she just never felt ready. Yet, Damon seemed persistent about it.

"You know how I feel about that." Elena commented just above a whisper as she played with a strand of her long brown hair, avoiding his gaze.

"About what? About the fact that you don't want to have kids with me. I get it Elena, you'll never be ready. But, what I don't understand is that you never told me this! You should have told me before we even got married." He told her with a hint of angry in his tone.

"I never said that I didn't want to have kids with you. You're my husband, Damon. All, I said was that I wasn't ready to take that huge step yet. That's all." Elena told him as she walked over to the desk that he was sitting at and then leaned against the edge to look at him.

She watched the angry in his eyes increase and it hurt even worse when he spoke. "You know what Elena. I have an extra ticket that goes straight to Italy…Why don't you just take it and go! I could use the space and I also know how much you'll be board out of your mind in France while I meet with clients." He told her sternly as he opened up a drawer in his desk and threw the plane ticket at her.

Elena watched as she tried to hold off with the tears in her eyes. She hadn't planned on making him upset. But, having children together was one of the topics that they both had such strong opinions on that it was hard for her to budge on her idea of having a family later on in her life. Elena was a beautiful brunette who worked as an assistant to a Dental Hygienist and in her eyes she was still getting to know who she was, at the prime age of 25 years old.

"Damon-." Elena began to say as she took the tickets into her hands and then gave him a saddened look.

"Save it, Elena. You leave for Italy tomorrow morning on a 5am flight. I'll meet up with you there in about a week after you get there...Since, I'll be busy with meetings and clients, I'll call you if something changes." He told her as he went back to focusing on a pile of documents that were sitting in front of him.

"Okay." Elena said in a voice that was above a whisper as she turned on her heels and left the room with her heart heavy and her mind spinning with the thought of being able to explore Italy alone. When she was far enough from his office and in the hallway of the five bedroom house that they shared, Elena glanced down at the paper thin tickets in her hands and almost gasped when she saw her destination.

"Departing LAX at 5am…Arriving in Amalfi, Italy at 6pm. The next day." She read out loud as her heart beat with excitement at the thought of being on the coast all alone for a few days without Damon was more of a possibility now. Maybe the comment of needing space for a few days that he had made earlier, would do them both some good.

* * *

_Three days later…._

"So those moving guys basically told me that the tables and chairs weren't the exact color that I wanted." Lexi whined as she looked down at the chairs that were in front of her.

"Won't matter. Lexi…We have our grand opening tonight! So, are ready for it?" Stefan asked her as he tied an apron around his waist line and looked over at her.

"Yeah….But the colors for these chairs are going to bug the hell out of me!" She exclaimed.

"Lexi, We open tonight and I've already booked a local Italian band to play…So, get over it and make sure that the extra bartenders are called up and I'm going to go tell the chief and cooks in the kitchen about what I want on the menu tonight. Plus, you won't be seeing much of the chairs because people will be sitting in them." Stefan told her with a shrug of his shoulders as he walked away from her and towards the kitchen.

"What's that supposed to mean? Oh No…He wouldn't…Oh crap, I'm going to be serving tonight." Lexi concluded as she pulled her long blonde hair into a pony tail and then went in search of Stefan.

When she found him leaning against the stainless steel table, talking to the head chief, Lexi walked over to him and impatient grabbed his elbow.

"Need to talk to you." She said sternly.

"What? Did you see something else that you don't like….do the plates not match?" Stefan said jokingly as he watched Lexi swat his arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?" He asked her.

He watched she smiled and then sarcastically she looked him over. "For making me one of the main servers' tonight… I suck at waiting tables!" She nearly shouted at him, as he laughed.

"Oh, Lexi. I did that because the Italian's love you…who knows, maybe lover boy Adrian will be here." Stefan said with a wink as he turned his back towards her again and continued to look over the menu.

"Speaking of lover…What about Leah?" Lexi asked suspiciously.

"Leah said that she's probably stop by after work, tonight. But, I'll see her later." Stefan told her with a mischievous look in his green eyes.

"You're so gross!" Lexi commented as she once again playfully punched his shoulder and then walked away from him.

"What can I say…I can't help it that I'm good looking." He said sarcastically with a loud laugh as he watched Lexi shake her head and then she was gone.

* * *

Later that night, Elena had shopped in all of the cutest boutiques and she was starved as she went up to her hotel room. Damon had surely out done himself with the suite that he had reserved for them. Elena had to explain to front desk that she had gotten there earlier and that she needed a room for a few days. Yet, the red headed girl at the front desk didn't blink an eye as she smiled at her widely and then handed her a key.

Her breath got caught in her lungs as she stepped into the hotel suite and looked it over. There were cream colored tile floors running throughout the layout of the room and the bed looked huge with its comfy red colored pillows and white colored duvet cover. The windows in the rooms were all covered with wooden blinds and they were letting in the cool air that tasted like sea salt on her lips as she ran her tongue across her lips, trying to figure out where she would be having dinner for the night, since her stomach kept rumbling with hunger.

Elena quickly placed her bags of clothes on the bed and then looked them over for something cute to wear. It was a somewhat chilly night on the coast and so she picked out a pair of black high heels, a light weight brown jacket and a mint colored short sleeve shirt that had a v-neck cut in the front.

As Elena got dressed and then placed her pearl earrings in her ears, she sighed at the thought of how relaxing the last few days have been. It wasn't that she was happy to not have Damon with her, part of her missed him. But, there was also that part of her that loved the fact that she was able to walk around a town and be whoever she wanted to be for the night, a carefree young woman who was finally able to have the chance of getting to know what she really wanted out of her life. She placed her wedding ring back onto her ring finger as she grabbed her black purse and then made her way out of the hotel room and in search of a place to eat.

* * *

It hadn't taken long to walk past a few of the same shops and restaurants that she had seen earlier in the day. But, Elena had stopped in her tracks when she had heard the loud and almost melodic noises of a nearby restaurant that seemed to be packed with people. Its sign was covered with huge letters that said "Grande apertura." Elena knew what it said because Damon had taught her some Italian a few weeks prior to their little argument. "Hmm. Grand Opening. Sounds good to me." She told herself as she shrugged her shoulders and pulled on the glass door of the restaurant that was now blaring another Italian song from its speakers.

The music blared with an Italian melody that they had both gotten used to as Stefan watched Lexi from behind the bar. She was a natural at being a waitress and he had no idea why she had even made such a big deal about it earlier in the day. He watched for a few more minutes as he saw her talking to a brunette and then he went back to mixing a drink for a customer.

Lexi had her apron tied tightly around her waist and a notepad in her hands as she looked down at the brunette who had walked into the restaurant with an almost exhausted on her face.

"So, what can I get you?" She asked her with a smile on her face.

"umm…What do you recommend?" She asked Lexi as she looked up at the tall blonde and caught something that she couldn't seem to place in her blue eyes.

"Well, if you're hungry the Mediterranean Pasta has mushrooms, chicken, pasta, sun dried tomatoes. It's good. But, if your only here for a drink...I recommend the Alameda Squeeze...It's got strawberries, vodka and lemonade." Lexi told her as she gave her a pleased look, when Elena nodded.

"Okay, all of it sounds wonderful. I'll take the suggestions and order them. I'm too hungry and tired to try and debate with myself on what else sounds good." Elena said with a laugh as she pushed a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear and then gave Lexi a smile.

" Great! I'll get that started for you. I'm Lexi by the way…You don't look like all the other girls here." She told her.

Elena adjusted herself in her seat and then she glanced down at her glistening wedding band and then looked back up at Lexi. "It's because I'm not from around here, I'm from San Diego. My husband is on a business trip in France and he wanted me to go explore Europe for a while. He's working with a cooperation that is here overseas." Elena confined in her.

"My name is Elena, by the way. It's nice to meet you, Lexi." She told her with a smile as she watched Lexi anxiously grip the notepad in her hands and it almost looked like the tan colored woman in front of her had just turned ten shades of pale. Just at the sound of the familiar name.

Lexi swallowed hard before she gave her best nervous smile and then she disappeared towards the bar as quickly as she could. She had dodged a few of the other servers around her as she made her way directly to the bar, where Stefan was preparing various drinks for the customers and filling out the orders.

"The brunette that I've spent the last 15 minutes talking too…She's from San Diego and she wants you to deliver her Alameda Squeeze." Lexi told with a stern look.

Stefan looked up at Lexi with a confused look, as he looked past her and to the brunette that had her back turned towards him.

"Why can't you do?" He tried to argue as he watched Lexi place her hands on her head and rub her temples as she closed her eyes briefly and then she exhaled heavily.

"Well, because her name is Elena… Stefan." Lexi told him as she gave him a smirk and watched his green eyes grow with a mixture of confusion and total shock.

* * *

**A/N: Hey Everyone!**

**Soo..I left you all with a cliffhanger ;) Sorry about that..I just felt like it was necessary so that I could get the story moving along. Anyways, Hope you all enjoyed reading it!**

**Thanks for reading & UNTIL NEXT TIME! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX-Holding You Closer Than Most- **

"What?" Stefan asked Lexi as he looked once more past her and to the brunette who had now taken off her jacket and was in a mint colored short sleeve shirt, showing off her olive colored skin.

"I said.."Lexi began to explain as she smiled at him.

"I know what you said...Now, will excuse me, I have a drink to deliver." He told her as he placed a lemon peel into the glass and then brushed past her. Lexi had rushed back into the kitchen to check on Elena's order as she turned her head quickly to look over at Stefan, silently hoping that he wouldn't crack and make a fool of himself.

Stefan took a deep breath as he walked over to her table and focused in on her side profile. Surely, it was her. There was no mistaking that glance that she gave when she was deep in thought or the way that her nose would crinkle in that cute way of hers when she remembered something that she had forgotten about.

Stefan approached her with caution as he placed her drink on the table and then watched as she finally got out of what looked like a trance on something in the restaurant and looked up at him with surprise and longing in her dark brown eyes. "Stefan." She said just above a whisper. She wasn't even sure why she had to say his name out loud, yet maybe it was the longing for him and missing the way that she used to say his name over and over again, each letter rolling off of her tongue with ease.

"I never thought I would see you again, especially here…Elena." Stefan said as he took a seat across from her. His arms were folded across his chest as he sat down and really took her in. Three years really hadn't done a number on Elena at all; the only exception was that her hair was longer and if you looked long enough at her, you could tell that she looked tired, exhausted even.

"You work here?" She asked him with a slight laugh. _God, how he had missed the sound of her laugh, it instantly sent shock waves thought out his whole body and made him smile in return. _

"No, I own this place. The blonde bartender is my business partner." He commented as he glanced down at her left hand and noticed that she still wore her wedding ring.

"So, what brings you out, half way across the world? Come to see me?" He said with a smirk as he watched her muffle a laugh with her hand.

"Hah…I've been waiting for this moment for years. I've missed you so much…Maybe I did come and see you." She said as answered his lingering question.

"Elena, You have no idea how much I've dreamt of this moment…seeing you here. But, what are doing here? Where's Damon?" Stefan asked. He knew that he probably shouldn't have mentioned his brother in the moment. But, he couldn't help it because seeing Elena sitting at his restaurant all alone made him question every rational thought that he had in his head. The moment his eyes locked with hers and the way that she had almost whispered his name, was more than he could take. As he sat across from her and listened to her explain that Damon was on a business trip and that they had decided that she should just explore Italy alone for a few days before he was supposed to meet up with her.

"So, things are-." Stefan began to say as Elena gave him a mesmerized look and then he watched her shoulders tense at him. "We're good. Enough about me. How are you? My god, this place is incredible...I am so proud of you." Elena told him sincerely.

"I've been good…I guess I can't complain much. I mean, I own a bar and I live on the beautiful Italian coast in a two story townhouse that's a little ways from here and it overlooks the ocean. How many days are you in town?" He asked as he placed his hands on the table and locked his eyes with hers.

Stefan watched as Elena swallowed hard at his intense gaze and then she nervously placed her intertwined hands onto the table too. "A townhouse on the beach…Wow. I'm sure the view is just breathtaking." Elena told him and he watched her eyes lit up.

"Yeah..Ha, it's nice. But, I've seen things that are a lot more beautiful." He told her with a smirk on his face as he watched her frown a bit.

"Elena, what's wrong?" Stefan asked suddenly as he watched her from across the table. Her eyes instantly looked away from his and back at Lexi who was finally bringing up her order.

"I am so sorry that it took so long! That darn cook only speaks Italian...Stefan." She told them as she placed the hot and steaming food in front of her and then glanced over at Stefan who now had his green eyes locked on Elena's face as she took her fork and slowly dug into the food.

"Huh?" He asked with a smile as he looked over at Lexi. Her blue eyes shined with annoyance as she fought the urge to not roll her eyes at him. He looked like an abandoned sad puppy that had been discarded for so long and now that he was lost. But, now that he was found, he couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, I'll talk to him about it…or you could always pick up those learning CD's and learn some Italian." Stefan told her with a shrug as she lightly smacked his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Elena, He's just being an ass! But, I do hope that you're enjoying his company and the meal. Now, will you excuse me...I've got a business to run." Lexi told her as she excused herself and then walked out of their view.

Elena swallowed a piece of her pasta and then took a sip of her drink, before she looked over at Stefan and shrugged her shoulders. "She seems pleasant." She said with a smile as she put her fork down and then looked over at Stefan who seemed to be fixated on the drink in front of her.

"Yeah...She's nice when you don't see her 24/7. I love Lexi, I really do. But, she's more like that annoying older sister that is just always there." He told her as he watched her raise her eyebrows.

"So, how long have you known Lexi for?" Elena said as she picked up her drink and then took another sip, relishing in the vodka that slightly burned as it went down her throat.

"3 years. She was one of the first people that I met when I first showed up here...I only had about two thousand dollars to my name and nothing else. When, I met Lexi and she took me in, I was thankful that she had the decency to take me in first of all. But, also she was nice enough to let me crash at her place until I decided what I wanted to do with the money I had. It was her idea to invest in this place." Stefan told Elena as he lifted up his hands into the air and circled them around, almost as if to emphasis the beautiful work that they had invested in.

"You're lucky to have her, Stefan. Some days I feel like I can't even talk to Caroline or Bonnie anymore because they're so wrapped up into their own lives that I barely even hear from them." She explained as she moved a piece of her fallen hair out of her face.

Stefan paused to look at her as she did so and then he smiled. "Don't be silly. You still have Damon." He told her truthfully.

"Yeah, He's the reason I'm here all alone." Elena confided in him.

Stefan raised his eyebrows at her and then titled his head to the side. "What…? But, I thought that you had said that he was on a business trip…" His voice trailed off in confusion.

"He is. But, he's in France. Stefan, your brother and I got into a huge argument and he gave me a ticket to come here earlier than we had originally planned to come together. We both said some things to each other that were pretty hurtful." Elena explained as she looked over at her cell phone and saw the time. It was already way past 10:00 and she had been there for hours as she sat with him and they caught up with what had been going on in their lives for the last three years since they had been apart.

Elena yawned slightly as she turned to her purse and searched for her wallet. "I should probably get going…I've been up since 6 this morning, wandering the streets of Amalfi." She said sadly as she looked over at Stefan who had a grin on his face.

"Where are you staying at?" He asked as he watched her head shoot up from her gaze on her black purse.

"Um, I am at the Grand Hotel Convento di Amalfi..it isn't too far from here." She commented as she gave him a bright smile.

"Yeah, it's the hotel that overlooks the water. It's beautiful. Well, How about this. Tomorrow morning, I have to meet with a friend about something and then after, I can show you some of the sights…" His voice trailed off in a hopeful tone as he watched her nod her head and then she took out her wallet and opened it.

Stefan quickly reached over and smiled at her as he placed his hands over hers, stopping her actions from pulling out a bunch of Euros that were stuffed inside of her small white wallet.

"It's on the house. All of it! Please, just consider my offer. Let me be your tour guide." He said with a slight smile as he heard her let out a laugh and then she reached over with her other hand and placed it on top of his as she locked her eyes with him. "How could I resist, Mr. Salvatore."

* * *

After Stefan had said goodbye to Elena, giving her a tight hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, he watched her leave the restaurant with a smile on her face as she walked out of the building and towards her hotel.

"What the hell was that?" Lexi asked in a stern tone as she watched the last patrons of the night leave the bar area too.

"What was what?" Stefan asked, trying to keep his cool demeanor.

"The minute you saw her, you acted like a sick lost puppy dog. What was that all about? I mean, you tell me that you're over her. But, the minute you sat down across from her…it was like everyone else disappeared and you got that stupid smirk on your face when she laughed at something you said." Lexi observed as she placed her hands on her hips and watched Stefan pick up a few empty glasses from a nearby table.

"I thought that you couldn't see all that all the way from the bar..." He pointed out.

"Oh, you seem to forget…I'm a very observant person, Stefan." She told him in a sarcastic tone.

"Lexi, hmm…How do I put this? I am not in love with Elena anymore. It was just good seeing her face and talking to her. I've just missed her, a lot." He said as he brushed past Lexi and tried to make his way back towards the kitchen. But her firm grip on his arm, stopped him.

"Stefan, I'm not blind. I know what it's like to see someone again that you used to love. Trust me, I've been there. But, you can't let your emotions rule your body when your around them...That's how people get hurt. I'm just watching out for you, that's all. You need to remember that she's still with your brother." Lexi said as she narrowed her blue eyes and locked her gaze with his.

"Thanks, but I am perfectly fine and that blinding ring on her hand is a perfect reminder." He told her, reassuring her.

"Sure you are...So, if you're not in love with her anymore…Why didn't you call Leah and ask where she was and why she didn't show up at the grand opening of your bar?" Lexi asked him in a disappointed tone.

"Oh, Shit! It totally slipped my mind." Stefan said.

"Sure it did. If it were me and if I would have seen the love of my life after three years of not being around them…My so called "New" fling would have slipped my mind too." Lexi commented as she patted him on the shoulder and released her grip from his arm. all the while smirking at him and shaking her head.

* * *

**A/N: Hey all my readers! :) Here's Chapter Six...Sorry if it isn't exactly how you thought it would be..But, I didn't want to rush into things with them just yet..I sort of wanted them to get to know each other...again and that's what my next update will be about...A LOT of STELENA! :D Anyways, Let me know what you think! **

**THANKS FOR READING & I will be updating soon again! :) **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey all! Here's Chapter Seven..So, I know that I said that we would have some Stefan/Elena moments in this chapter..But, I had a different idea and went for that one instead..Hope you all still like this update!**

**Please Review and Thanks for Reading! :)**

**UNTIL NEXT TIME...Enjoy!**

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN-Holding You Closer Than Most-**

Staying true to his word, Stefan had met up with Leah for breakfast the next morning and tried desperately to explain to her that he hadn't been ignoring her these last few days.

"So, a girl that you dated just showed up at your bar?" She asked as she sat across from him with her hands wrapped around her coffee up and her sunglasses flopping on top of her blonde curly hair.

"Yeah, I mean…I've just been a bit preoccupied. I'm sorry that I didn't call you last night and tell you about the opening of the bar…I know that you knew. But, I should have at least called you and asked if you were still coming to check it out." Stefan tried to explain as he gripped the water bottle in his hands tightly and then glanced up at her reaction.

Leah smiled slightly and then released her right hand and reached over to touch his arm. "It's okay. I 'm sure that you and this friend of yours had a lot of catching up to do. So, will I ever get to meet her?" She asked him as her blue eyes lit up at the thought.

"Um...Maybe before she leaves to go back to the states…You would really like her." He commented as he grinned at her and then glanced down at his watch.

"Leah, I better get going..I have to go pick up some stuff for the bar and then come back here and talk Lexi into taking Italian lessons." He half laughed as he watched her smile and then she brushed a small strand of her curly blonde hair behind her ears.

"I'm still coming over to your place tonight, right?..unless you have plans." She commented as she slowly got up from her chair and then gazed over at Stefan with a wink.

"Of course you are! Dinner tonight at 8?" He asked her as he watched Leah shake her head in agreement.

"I'll see you later then?" Leah asked Stefan as she walked over to his side and leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. He responded by wrapping his arms around her and then returned a light kiss on her warm and soft skin.

"I'll see you later, promise." Stefan told her with a smile as he watched Leah smile and then slowly walk away from the table that they had been sitting at, outside of the restaurant.

* * *

Just as Stefan got up and pushed his chair back towards the table, he heard Lexi's familiar voice thrown in with a whistling sound.

"How's the double dating with your brother's wife and your European lover working out…getting exhausting yet?" Lexi asked as she leaned against the door frame of the restaurant with a huge smirk on her pink lips.

"Lex, shut up and go learn some useful Italian." Stefan said with a smirk as he playfully shoved her back into the building and her laughter filled the room.

"Seriously, Stefan…What are you going to do when Damon shows up and see's you with his wife…who obviously still has the dare I say it...Hots for you?" She exclaimed as she watched him glare at her.

"Lexi, I will figure it out…Plus, she told me that Damon won't be meeting up with her for a few days…Which, means I still have a few days to hang out with her. Alright?" He reiterated as he shrugged his shoulders at Lexi and then once again turned around to exit the restaurant.

"Where are you going?" Lexi shouted at him as she watched him turn around slightly.

"To Elena's, I'll see you later." Stefan told her as he walked out of the building and shut the door behind him.

* * *

Elena had already been dressed and was about to dry her dripping wet hair, when her cell phone rang and the familiar ringtone of Damon calling buzzed around the room.

"Hello?" She answered calmly as she heard him let out a laugh and she could tell that he was probably smiling ear from ear at just hearing the sound of her voice.

"Hey, Sweetheart! How's the adventure in Amalfi going?" He asked her with a curious tone.

She replied with a laugh as she walked into the hotel bathroom and grabbed her hair brush. Elena began to brush her hair and squeeze out the excess water from it as she spoke with Damon.

"It's been relaxing. I'm actually planning on stepping out for a bit and maybe going to eat at one of these restaurants or something." She told him.

"Well, promise me you won't fall in love with it all, we may have a hard time getting you back to San Diego…Look, I'm sorry about the things I said…But, great news! I'm flying in tonight and we can talk through it all, I don't want you to think that I'm pushing you into something that you don't want. Look, Elena I need to go, I have one more meeting here to wrap up and then I'm catching the next flight out to Amalfi. I'll see you in a few hours. I love you." Damon explained.

_A few hours? _Elena thought to herself as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror and then she replied back to him. "Sounds wonderful! We can talk then." She told Damon as she felt like her last words to him were like sand paper on her tongue._..I love you too._

After the phone call with Damon, she dried the rest of her hair and then gently straightened it. She smiled to herself at the thought of seeing Stefan again. Since their small reunion last night, the thought of Damon hadn't really crossed her mind until he had actually called her a few minutes prior. It wasn't as if she was ignoring her husband, she just felt the need of enjoying her alone time, without him for a while and being around Stefan was part of it.

Elena put on a small amount of makeup on as she walked out of the bathroom and put on her white high heels that worked well with the wrap around dress that was a strapless dark wine color. Maybe it was too much to go out in, but she didn't really care because she had loved the dress and it fit perfectly on her. Just as she put in a pair of small pearl earrings into her ears, Elena heard a light knock on the door. She quickly glanced at her cell phone and saw that it was already almost noon and she thought to herself that Stefan was a bit early.

Elena casually made her way towards the door anyways and opened it with a gleeful smile. But just as she looked closer at her guest, her smile instantly fell to a frown and she automatically felt way overdressed.

"Damon?" She asked questionable as she watched him walk into the hotel room with a grin on his face.

"Of course it's me, baby. Who else were you expecting?" Damon told her as he placed his bags onto the ground next to the bed and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her gently and kissing her softly on the lips. "I missed you so much." Damon commented as he looked her over with a grin.

"Nice dress, were you going somewhere?" He asked her curiously.

"Damon, I thought that you said that you were still in France…at a meeting and that you would be home in a few hours." Elena asked him as she eyed him up and down, taking in his tired expression and the black tailored suit that he wore.

She watched as Damon shook his head and then he laughed. "Sweetie, the meetings finished late last night and I decided to catch the first flight that I could out of there. Plus, when I called you I was in a taxi, half way here, I wanted to surprise you!" He told her with a wide smile.

"Ha, well you sure surprised me." Elena told him with a laugh as she pulled her long brown hair to one side in frustration.

"So, why are you so dressed up?" Damon began to ask just as they both froze when they heard the sound of knocking at the front door of their hotel room.

"I'll get it. Did you have a hot date planned without me or something?" Damon asked jokingly as he walked over to the door and his hand tightened on the handle. Damon's face turned pale when he saw who was on the other side of it and the only words he could manage to utter out were.

" Stefan?" He said in a shaky voice as he looked quickly over at Stefan and he watched as a shameful look crept onto Elena's face.

"I can explain-." Stefan began to say as he watched Damon's body stiffen and then he pivoted on his heels to look over a very surprised Elena.

"What the hell is going on here?" He asked with a booming voice that instantly sent a shiver down Elena's spine.

"Damon, please calm down and I'll explain. Please. Stefan owns a restaurant and we saw each other last night." She begged as she took a step closer towards him. But, Damon instantly looked over at Stefan and directed his anger towards his younger brother.

"He owns a restaurant, that's a new one! So three years wasn't enough of being apart. Until you screwed my wife again? Is that it! Is that why you're here Stefan?" Damon bellowed as he watched Stefan shut the door behind him and walk towards him. But, just as Stefan took a step closer, Damon threw him against the wall and punched him in the face.

"Damon! Stop it!" Elena shouted at him as she watched Damon lift his foot, aiming for Stefan's stomach just as she heard him cough out a reply.

"It's not what it looks like. I swear to god! I didn't touch her and I have never had an affair with Elena. She's your wife, Damon. Elena showed up at my bar last night and we just talked..that's all." Stefan told him in a voice that just above a whisper as he clutched at his aching jaw.

"Stop denying it! Damn it! You both have been lying to me. I've known about the both of you for years! Elena, I knew that you were seeing him on the side…that night at Caroline's party and the looks you were both giving each other across the room. Then the way Stefan hugged you. I've known that you've had a thing for him since you first met him! You both played be for a fool." Damon nearly shouted as he watched Stefan stagger to his feet.

"And you! How dare you sleep with my wife, Stefan! She's my damn wife!" Damon told him sternly as he pushed him against the wall once more and slapped him across the face.

"Don't except for me to be waiting at our house when you get back to San Diego, Elena. I'm filing for a divorce the minute I step my foot back into California!" Damon told her as he glared at her, watching as silent tears cascaded down her face. Before, he stormed out of the room without another word.

* * *

They both watched, stunned and speechless as Damon walked out of the hotel room, grabbing his bags and then with a hateful glare at both of them, he slammed the door shut.

Stefan's jaw tightened as he looked over at Elena who was now sitting on the bed in tears. Her face was buried in her hands and her long brown hair was covering her saddened expression like a shield as Stefan slowly walked over to her and kneeled down bedside her, to afraid to even touch her.

"Elena, I'm so sorry. Please, look at me. It's all just a big misunderstanding..I'm sure that he'll come around." Stefan said in a saddened tone as he heard her sniffle and then after a few minutes of silence, she finally looked up at him with watery brown eyes and a tear stained face.

"Stefan. Please go. Please, I just want to be alone right now." She swallowed hard as she looked back down at her shaking hands and the glistening wedding band.

"Elena, if you need anything…" Stefan told her as his voice trailed off.

"Just go!" she nearly shouted at him as she laid her head back down onto the bed and sobbed.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:**** Hey all! So here is Ch.8! Okay first of all let me explain something, my emotions got the best of me in this update and I feel like it makes me sound like I totally hate Damon in this story, I don't. I just feel like he's somewhat misunderstood.**

**Enjoy & Please review. Let me know if you love it, hate it or don't ever want me to write something like this again..Sorry if I make you cry! :-/ **

**Thanks for Reading! :) **

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT-Holding You Closer Than Most-**

After she had sent Stefan away like that, she was definitely sure that he would probably never want to speak with her again. Elena had spent the last hour replaying the way Damon had hit him and told him to stay the hell away from his wife. Yet, Damon was the one who had gotten it all wrong. She and Stefan surely didn't have anything going on between them anymore and Elena was sick of having to justify her actions.

So, when she heard the loud knock at the door and a sigh that followed. She instantly felt the silence fall apart around her and the knots in her stomach told her that once she opened that hotel room door, she would be coming face to face with telling whoever it was the whole damn truth.

The reason why she had shown up in Italy and the sad fact that her husband, Damon had been hiding his own closet of secrets way before their so called blissful wedding day had even occurred.

"Open the damn door, Elena!" He nearly shouted as she cringed at the sound of his voice. The slurring of his words was a quick indicator that he was indeed drunk and he had shown back up to her hotel room to pick a fight.

Elena quickly gathered her long brown hair into a high pony tail and took a tissue to wipe away the darkened mascara streaks from her red and puffy eyes. She exhaled deeply as she opened the door. Damon had both hands pressed against the door frame and his eyes were blood shot from what she knew was drinking way too much.

"Did you know that he named his damn restaurant after you?" Damon said as he stumbled into her room, shutting the door with his foot.

"What?" Elena asked him with a hint of confusion.

"Yeah, I got drunk there..But, don't worry the coward didn't even have the guts to show up and face me like a man." Damon told her as he brushed past her and flopped down onto a chair in the corner of the room.

"I didn't know that. Damon, Please. It wasn't what it looked like. He was just meeting up with me because he told me about a few cool places around town and Stefan wanted to arrange for me to see them. That's all...I'm not sleeping with him, Damon." Elena explained as she sat back onto the bed and crossed her legs.

She watched as Damon let out a loud laugh and then he looked her over. "I'm not an idiot, Elena. I can tell when my own wife is in love with another man. But, spare me the details of your late night extra martial activities and just tell me one thing." He said as he lifted his head up slightly and narrowed his hazy eyes at her. Elena lifted her hand up into the air and was about to correct him, when he finally made a sudden admission.

"You wanted to come here and find him...is that what this is all about? You found my papers in my office and you realized that I've been tracking Stefan for the last three years. So, you made this whole plan up and executed it perfectly..well, that was until I showed up and ruined it." He slurred once more as he watched her eyes give him an icy gaze.

"You what? You knew! You've known this whole damn time, where he was and that he was alive and you never told me?" She choked out as she began to wipe away her now falling tears.

"Why would I have told you that my brother was in Italy. Just so that I could have you run away and find him? Eventually divorce me and live your little happy ending? You married me, Elena. Not him!" Damon said as he stumbled to his feet and then walked over to sit next to her on the bed.

"You kept us apart?" She choked out as a sob threatened to escape from her throat.

"I did it all because, I love you. I wanted you all to myself and I certainly didn't want to compete for your affection or your love with own brother. Plus, I could see it in your eyes. You've never loved me or looked at me the way that you looked at him, whenever all three of us where in a room together. All I ever wanted was for you to love me, like you loved him." Damon explained in a saddened tone as he turned towards her.

"You're the one who bought Stefan's bar in San Diego. You bought it in cash and you acted as an anonymous buyer. So, that he could never find out who it was that he sold it too. You wanted him gone so that you and I could live this fantasy married life..." Elena concluded as she got off the bed and walked over to other side of the room. It made her stomach sick to think of what Damon had done and that he was the reason that Stefan and Elena hadn't seen each other in three years.

"I bought him a first class plane ticket to Italy too. Oh and I told him to never tell anyone where he was going. Or I would make sure that he would never see you, again." Damon informed her as he watched her body cringe at his words.

"How could you do that us! To me! You claim that you love me and then you go off and ruin my life, you ruined three damn years of a life that I could of had actually being happy." Elena told him as she pushed her body against the wall and slide down it with tears spilling over her eyes.

"I did it because I wanted you to stop being with him and actually be with me, to love me! Elena, I know that you love him and that you think that he's the one for you. But, he's not..Stefan never will be." Damon scolded.

"I heard that from my parents and they pushed me away from him and into your arms, thinking that I would be happy and safe. But, from everything that you and I have been through in the last few years and tonight. I shouldn't have listened to them at all, it was stupid. I was stupid to think that they were right and that you were the right choice. All you've cared about Damon is the money you have and yourself!" Elena said angrily through a softened tone.

"So, it's true...You've never loved me." Damon said as he exhaled deeply.

"I did once and I'm sorry for everything that I've put you through. But after tonight, you and I are done!" Elena said sorrowfully as she bowed her head down.

Damon stayed silent for a long time as he watched Elena lift herself up from her spot against the wall and then she grabbed her purse and jacket. It was already mid afternoon as she grabbed her cell phone and then turned towards Damon who was now half sprawled out on the bed.

"I guess you can let yourself out after you spend a few good hours, sobering up. Then, maybe we can apologize to each other in a civil manner." She commented as she turned towards the door and placed her hand on the door knob. But, just then Damon's voice stopped her movements.

"I'm sorry I told you like this..I'm sorry okay. I didn't want you to find out like this." Damon told her in his most sincere tone as he leaned his head back onto the pillows underneath him.

"Well, what is it that they say, Damon? A drunk man tells no lies." Elena replied as she opened the hotel room door and stepped out into the hallway, leaving Damon to sober up and come to his scenes all alone.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **** Hey all! Here's Chapter 9! Hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for reading and please don't forget to review :) **

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE-Holding You Closer Than Most**

She was choking on her sobs as she ran down the stairs of the hotel room and out the front entrance of the building. Elena wiped at her falling tears as she stopped and leaned against a bench outside to catch her breath, she was in shock and it was understandable considering the fact that Damon had just made the biggest confession of all time.

She took a few deep and heavy exhales as she finally got to her feet and then she began to walk to where she knew that she would find him, the bar.

It had taken her less than 15 minutes to get there and yet she had no idea what she would say when he saw her tear stained face and heard her shaky voice. But, she knew that once she saw him that it would be a relief to finally put to it all rest. Elena stumbled into the bar and was thankful that it was practically empty, besides a few people in the corner of the room that were drinking and laughing about something in Italian.

But as she searched around the bar, the only person that Elena had seen was Lexi, cleaning crystal glasses behind the bar with a gleeful smile on her face, like she was thinking about something that only she knew about. Elena exhaled as she tried to calm her shaking hands and then she walked over to where Lexi was, focused on taking the water spots off the a glass in her hands.

"It was Lexi, right?" Elena asked in a voice that was just above a whisper.

She watched as Lexi's head shot up and then she smiled a slight smile at her. "Yeah, you're the brunette from a few nights ago. I couldn't forget that pretty face. If you're looking for Stefan, you just missed him." She commented truthfully as she watched Elena's face give her a defeated look.

"Can you please tell me where he went?" Elena asked her softly.

"I'm not sure. But, I have an idea...He was really pissed off when he left." Lexi told her as she shrugged her shoulders.

Lexi watched as Elena nodded and then just as she turned away from her to leave, Lexi spoke. "You should try the marina, it's a few blocks from here..I'll give you the directions. I know that he usually goes there to think, a lot. And, he finds it calming." Lexi commented as she turned around to grab a pencil and a piece of paper.

Elena turned towards Lexi again and watched as she jotted down a few directions before she ripped off the sheet of a small piece of paper and handed it to Elena. Lexi smiled at her slightly as she spoke in a soft and soothing tone. "Just so you know. Stefan's always loved you, he's never stopped." Lexi disclosed as she watched Elena's eyes tear up and then she nodded.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed as she took the piece of paper and set out to find him.

* * *

He had been sitting on the dock and watching the sail boats pass by the small Italian coast line. After he had gotten in the heated argument with Damon, he stopped by the bar and told Lexi that he was taking a break for a few hours and that if anyone came looking for him, to tell them that he wasn't there.

But of course after sitting on a bench by the water and listening to the waves crash against the rocks, he had thought about the way Elena's eyes had teared up and the way that she had told him to get out. He had always had a soft spot for her in his heart and he hated the fact that he knew that she was crying in her hotel room because of the chaos that he and his brother had created around her. He hated himself for the fact that he loved her so much, yet he promised himself time and time again that he would leave her alone, like Damon had told him to do all those years ago. But of course, he couldn't and that was the main problem of it all.

Stefan's thoughts all came crashing against him like the rocks against the water when he heard slow footsteps walking towards him. He didn't even need to look behind him to know who it was, deep down he knew that she would eventually come looking, for answers that she knew were needed.

"I knew you'd find me out here." He commented as he looked out towards the water.

He heard Elena walk over to the bench and from his peripheral vision, he saw her take a seat right next to him. He watched as she fold her hands into her lap and then she leaned her back against the bench and looked out towards the water at an incoming boat that was passing them by.

"It wasn't that hard, I asked Lexi." She commented softly as she continued to avoid eye contact with him.

"Of course!" He said in an almost sarcastic tone.

"So, when did he tell you the truth?" Stefan asked her suddenly as he turned his body towards her and placed his hand on the back of the bench to lean a bit closer to her.

"Less than an hour ago. Stefan...I-" She began to say as he cut her off.

"Elena, I should of told you and I'm sorry. Damon told me that if you ever found out where I was...Let's just say he made it pretty damn clear that he wanted me out of your life." Stefan said sternly as his hands gripped the black railing of the bench, tightly at the thought of the night that Damon had pushed him up against a wall in his study and told him to stop sleeping with his soon to be wife.

"But why? Why didn't you tell me that he knew about us. Why did you go and not tell me? Did you think that you were doing the right thing by listening to your older brother. Stefan, you're not children anymore...He doesn't control your life." Elena told him in an angered and agitated tone.

"I know, But I couldn't risk not ever seeing you again. So, my only option was to leave and let you be. To let him get the chance that I knew he wanted. He wanted you, Elena and the price that I had to pay was to give you up. I'm so sorry. It wasn't right. But, I had too." He admitted.

Elena leaned over and grabbed his hand into hers and watched as his watery green eyes looked up at hers. Locking the same watery and tearful gaze at each other. "And, all I ever wanted was you. I loved him in the beginning. But, as things progressed I could tell that we weren't what I thought we could be. Stefan, I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry that I married him and that I left you. I'm sorry that I didn't follow my own advice and that I was stupid enough to not follow my heart. I'm so sorry for not telling you that I loved you, that I've always loved you." Elena told him with a raspy voice as her eye lids finally slipped over the tears that had been threatening to escape.

Just as Elena exhaled a shaky breath, she felt the familiarity of his strong arms wrap around her shoulders and before she knew it, her hair had covered them both like a shield. He pulled her closer towards him so that she was fisting the dark green shirt in her hands as she cried into his shoulder.

Stefan held her closer and tighter as he whispered into her ear. "I'm sorry that I never loved you enough, that I didn't fight harder for you. I'm sorry that I was the one who created all this shit and distance between us. I love you, Elena and I never stopped loving you. I just don't want to ruin anything you might have with him.. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy." He told her truthfully as his voice trailed off and he felt her grip around his broad shoulder's tighten.

"It's over between me and him. He's drunk in my hotel room and I told him to come find me to apologize, that is if he can face me after the stunt he pulled. Stefan, I want you know that I didn't want to leave that morning in the hotel room and I never took off the necklace that you gave me, not once...I remember you told me that the necklace was for me to have a part of you, even if we couldn't be together." Elena said with a strangled and saddened voice as she heard him exhale and then suddenly he relaxed his grip from around her.

"I know. I know, baby. I'm glad that you kept it." He told her as he kissed the top of her hair and then once more tightened his grip around her, slowly listening as she continued to slowly catch her breath from the heaving and crying . "I've missed you so much. I've missed you every single day, every single hour, every minute, every second that we've been apart. I couldn't get your face out of my head. You have haunted me and the day I left you, will be a day that I'll regret forever." Stefan told her as he gently rocked her.

Stefan felt Elena let out a small chuckle as she lifted her head, her once high pony tail was falling out of its place and her tear stained cheeks made his heart break as he looked her over. "Is that why you named the Restaurant & Bar after me? Because, you needed a piece of me to hold onto?" She asked as she unraveled her arms from his grasp and then she leaned back against the bench that they sat on.

"Yeah...I needed to know that if you ever came looking for me that you would have a place to search at, to find me at." He admitted.

Stefan watched as Elena smiled at him slightly and then she brushed the fallen strands of hair back into another high pony tail as she looked over at him before she cleared her throat. "So, what happens now?" She asked him in a curious tone as she watched Stefan's green eyes give off a spark of sudden surprise.

"We make up for the time we lost." He told her as he leaned towards her and pulled her closer towards him, embracing her like he hadn't held her in years, not leaving an inch of space between them as he inhaled deeply and silently Thanked God for the opportunity that he was given, to hold her again. Relishing in the warmth of her body, which made him feel like if he were to let go of her now, that he would freeze without her.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:  
****So, here's Chapter Ten! Hope you all like it. Please leave me a review, It makes it so much easier to write when I know what people think about my stories and to be honest, my readers reviews me a lot to me. :) Also, there is a flashback in this one and it's in italics. **

**Thanks for reading & as always Enjoy! -Until Next Time.- **

* * *

**CHAPTER TEN-Holding You Closer Than Most**

They sat in silence for a long time before Stefan finally let go of her small frame and looked over at her now bloodshot red eyes and the small frown that was forming upon her lips.

"So, where does this leave us?" She asked him as she shifted in her seat, resting her hand on the cool black railing of the bench that over looked the sandy beach and crashing water in front of them.

"Elena, I've been seeing someone and I want to see things through with her. I mean, I don't-." Stefan began to say as he lowered his head almost in shame. He wished more than anything that they could just picked up where they had stopped all those years ago, but things weren't as simple now and they both weren't the same people that they were back then, love struck and believing that things with each other would indeed last forever.

Three year earlier, they had both sacrificed so much for one another and now just jumping back into where they had stopped, wouldn't feel right. Also, there was the fact that Elena still had to figure out her situation with Damon and she needed to figure out her next move regarding the upcoming divorce that seemed to be looming was standing at.

"It leaves us both needing to make things right with the people that we're going to inevitably hurt in the process, if we do eventually end up back together..." Elena commented softly as her voice trailed off and she looked over at Stefan who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Yet, she watched as he nodded his head in agreement with her conclusion.

"Go home and make things right with Damon and once we figure out where that stands. Then, I'm going to try and figure what I feel for Leah and..."Stefan began to say as Elena cut him off.

"I know that things have changed between us and we aren't the same people that we were back then. But, I want you, Stefan. Let's make that clear right now. Yet, I understand that you want to clear those doubts in your mind and-." Elena said in a harsh tone as started to get up from the bench, just as Stefan grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down towards him.

His eyes started to fill with a slight hint of anger as he glared at her. "I never asked for this Elena! I never asked to be separated from you and needing to fill that gapping whole that you left in my heart for three damn years! What did you except me to do? To sit here and wait for you? Did you think that I was going to wait around until you changed your mind about my brother and when shit hit the fan between the two of you, that you would decide that I was the right choice? God, Elena stop being such a damn child and stop being so indecisive, tell me...just tell me that when this whole thing is over that you won't regret your choice ! I have no doubts, I want you in my life, Elena. I love you, Damn it! But, I need to see things through with her." Stefan told her as he watched her eyes lock on him.

Elena's eyes filled with tears as she listened to Stefan exhale deeply and pause for a moment as he looked over at her and then looked away. He couldn't handle watching her cry. But, he also wanted to make it clear to her that once she made her choice of being with him, that she wouldn't be changing her mind.

And there was also the fact that he was still technically dating Leah and he didn't want to give her up that easily either. Yet, Stefan was selfish and stubborn and deep down he knew that Elena was the right choice for him, even if he did have a hard time admitting the fact that even after all these years had passed by, that he still loved her like he had that summer day in July when she had stumbled into the Pinnacle Bar & Grill and asked for a job. As he sat by the water and watched Elena wipe the falling tears from her olive colored skin, without saying a word. He smiled slightly as he thought back to the first day that he had seen her, which for Stefan was the beginning of a roller coaster of feelings that he had tried his hardest to sort out every time that he was around the feisty brunette.

_She had been trying so hard to put her life on the right track. Yet, things at home weren't going as planned and Elena needed a job. But after finishing college with an English Degree and knowing that she couldn't really use it the way that she had planned to do. She needed a plan B. _

_She had done some waitressing during high school and it was easy money, but hard work. Yet, Elena didn't have a choice when she had heard about her mom's diagnosis and she knew that she needed to help them. Elena had spent all day searching for a job and the hot beating sun of the California heat in the mid afternoon was unbearable by the time that she saw the "Help Wanted" sign in the window of a fairly small building that read "Pinnacle Bar &Grill" over the front entrance of the building. _

_As Elena stepped into the cozy and modern looking grill, she smiled at the coolness that hit her skin, from the air conditioning that buzzed over head. She slowly looked around and noticed that there were a few people sitting in the center of the bar, talking in low voices about what sounded like finances. _

_"All I'm saying Mr. Salvatore is that if you don't come up with the money soon. You can kiss the dream of having a bar, good bye." The dark haired man informed him as he adjusted the light blue tie around his neck and cleared his throat. _

_Elena stood awkwardly, watching the exchange of words, hoping that she hadn't disturbed them. She silently listened in as the young man with spiky brown hair and intense eyes, rolled up the sleeves of his light green button up dress shirt, in an almost irritated way as he glanced over at the older man and then finally with a shake of his head, he spoke. _

_"I'm sorry, Mr. Saltzman. But, all I'm asking for is an extension. Please, Alaric. You can at least give me that. I know that I'm behind on my payments for this place...But, if you just give me more time to hire a few more people and lure more customer's in. I swear to you that by the middle of next month, I'll pay my dues." Stefan explained as he gritted his teeth in frustration._

_"Stefan, I've known you for two years and since the day I met you. I've known that your an honest man. But, this...this avoiding payments and..whatever it is that you're doing. Before, you know it Stefan. This "dream bar& grill" of yours is all going to be shot to hell and you're going to need to stop being so damn stubborn and ask your family for money." Alaric explained as he lifted up his glass and took a long drawn out sip of water. _

_"Alaric. For god sakes, I don't need their help! All, I need is time, give me more time. That is all I ask." Stefan practically begged as he gave Alaric a worried smile. _

_"Okay. Fine. I'll talk to my boss and see what I can do..But, Stefan. Please remember that I'm not doing this for you just because we've become friends and I feel bad for you." Alaric said with a shrug of his shoulders as he leaned back into the chair and crossed his legs over one another. _

_Elena stood by the entrance of the door, still listening to the two men talk about the troubles of the bar as she watched them. She smiled slightly and figured that one of them must be the owner of the place. The owner seemed young, probably in his mid twenties, but too mature for his own age and the other person that sat across from him was a man in his early to mid forties. The two men both looked up at her and instantly stopped talking as she suddenly stopped moving and eyed the table that they both sat at. It was covered with stacks of papers and two large glasses of water. _

_"Can I help you?" Stefan asked as he slowly got up and looked her over. Elena smiled nervously as she locked her eyes with him and then she adjusted her black blazer and the red top underneath it. She was nervous and she had no idea why as she watched the young man walk closer towards her and tilt his head to the side. _

_"Um...I- I saw the sign in the window about your bar needing help and I figured that maybe...I could apply for the job." Elena informed him. _

_She watched as Stefan walked up to her with a smile on his face as wide as she had ever seen someone smile at her. His pearly white teeth shined and his leaf green eyes were almost showing her that he was thankful, maybe even silently Thanking God for the brunette that just stepped through the door of the obviously struggling bar& grill. _

_"How about you fill this out and return it to me as soon as you can...Um, just fill out your personal information and a contact number and I'll get back to you as soon as I can." Stefan informed her as he handed her a clip board with a two page application. Elena smiled widely as she took the clipboard from his hands and then proceeded to sit down at one of the round tables in the corner of the restaurant. Elena glanced up quickly as she heard the two men exchange goodbyes and before she knew it, the older man left with a briefcase full of papers. _

_"So, umm..What type of position are you looking for?" Stefan asked as she watched him move to be behind the bar, he had already started cleaning glasses. _

_"Um, I worked as a waitress in high school...waitressing..I guess." Elena commented casually as she continued to fill out the paperwork that he had handed her earlier. _

_"So, you have experience with customer's and taking orders and all that?" Stefan asked as he turned away from her and placed one of the crystal glasses in his hands, on the shelf behind him. _

_"Yeah. I worked part time mostly because I was in school." Elena said as she finished up the application and then got up from her chair and walked over to the bar table that he stood behind._

_Stefan grabbed the clip board from her hands and smiled. "So...Elena Gilbert. When can you start?" He asked nonchalantly as he locked his green eyes with her brown ones and she registered his words._

_"So, your questions were a mock interview?" She asked curiously as she took a seat on the barstool, laughing at the way he was looking at her with a surprised expression on his face as he gasped at her words._

_"That wasn't a mock interview, that was the real deal." He commented with a wink as he threw her a glance and then a grin._

_"But, I.." Elena began to say as she watched with shock and disbelief as he grabbed the clipboard and the application from it. Elena almost gasped when Stefan crumpled up the paper and aimed it towards the trash can. They both watched as the white paper hit the can with a swoosh and landed with a thud at the bottom of the silver trash bin._

_"Your hired." He told her simply._

_Elena's brown eyes filled with confusion as she glanced over at him. _

_"What?" She asked in a disbelieving tone. _

_"Look, Elena. You're the first person who seems serious about needing a job and whose walked into my bar in the last month. And, you're a woman who knows what the hell this job in tails. I mean, I'm not saying that-." Stefan began to clarify as he watched Elena's eyes grow with surprise._

_"So, just like that. You hire me on the spot and that's it?" She asked him with a suspicious tone. _

_"I need a waitress and you seem qualified enough...I'm sure you over heard my conversation with my finance guy for the bar." Stefan pointed out._

_Elena nodded in a embarrassed tone as she cleared her throat to speak. "I wasn't being nosy. I swear." She told him as she folded her arms across her chest and gave him a slight smile. _

_"It's not a problem. I think I just found my solution." Stefan told her with a wide smile as he leaned over the counter and handed her a drink._

_"Cheers, to the job." Stefan told her as he poured them both a glass of water and smiled at her. _

" I loved you the moment you stepped into that damn bar. you know that? I remember the first time I met you and just randomly gave you the manager job. The smile on your face when I told you about the job. I wanted to wake up to that smile every day for the rest of my life...but...you made your choice, Elena." He told her softly as he intertwined his own fingers together and stared at them. Elena could tell that he was avoiding her gaze. Maybe even deep down avoiding the situation all together.

"Stefan, I know... I want you to know that I regretted it, everyday. I'm sorry for the choices that I've made. But, I need to do this the right way and make this right. I'm angry with Damon right now. I'm furious with him for what he did. But, I need to make my amends with him before I start things back up with you. Your my choice, I want you to know that. I love you, Stefan. I always have and I've been a fool to think that I could have pushed those feelings away..because, I couldn't. I never could and the choice to marry your brother was the wrong one. But, I don't want to live in the guilt of knowing that I didn't at least make things right with him too." Elena told him in a quivering tone as she glanced over at him.

Stefan's smile had faded and he seemed to be soaking in what she had just told him. "Your right. We need to make things right.. I'm not saying that it's forever, for me to date Leah and see it through with her...I'm just saying that it's for now." He told her truthfully as he watched her nod her dark brown hair in agreement.

"Yeah, just for now. I'm leaving in the morning. Back to San Diego, to talk to Damon." She told him suddenly as she watched his head snap up from the gaze on his hands. Stefan was silent as he nodded, he knew what she was saying. She needed to go back home as soon as she could to fix things or at least make an attempt to fix things because the one thing Elena didn't want was an ugly and nasty divorce from Damon.

"What time?" He asked.

"8 am..." Elena told him.

"Well, that gives me enough time. Right now it's about 4:30 and...I still have about two hours." Stefan started rattling off as she watched him get up off the bench and smile over at her. He watched as her brown eyes filled with confusion, tilting her head to the side with a smile on her face she asked. "Two hours for what?"

"Do you trust me?" Stefan asked with a grin playing on his lips. He watched as Elena nodded and then he extended his hand and waited for her to take it.

" Yes, with my life. But, where are we going?" She asked with a curious tone.

"Live a little, Elena. It's a surprise." Stefan told her as he helped her off the bench, tightening his grip on her hand as they made their way down the beach.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11-Holding You Closer Than Most**

He had lead them out to the water, where a small boat sat. It's oars sat, inside the small rusted silver and brown boat that was bobbing up and down as the waves from the coastline crashed against it. Stefan smiled as he leaned down to untie the rope that held the boat to the dock as he looked over at Elena's puzzled face.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, cutting the silence between them that had started when they had made their way towards the dock and down to where the boat was at.

"Nothing, I just never thought that I'd be here...with you. Stefan, I don't deserve you. I never have..I mean, I should have broken it off with Damon the minute that my parents insisted that I kept going. I'd been acting childish and thought that if I pleased them and just went along with the charade that, after a while, they would see it. That Damon and I weren't meant to be. But...instead being the idiot that I am and listening to everyone around me, instead of what my heart was telling me to do. I caved and married him. God, I should of called it off. I should of told him the truth, that I loved you. That you were what I wanted..." Elena suddenly confessed as tears filled her eyes and she hung her head low, not daring to look over at Stefan who seemed to be a bit stunned at her admission.

"Why didn't you? Why didn't you leave him for me..Elena. Did you seriously think that I would wait around until you changed your mind, that if he got sick of you that I would be the 2nd option? I couldn't wait around for you then and I'm not going to do it now. I told you how I felt the morning you left me. The morning you went to him. I'm trying to move on with my life, can't you see that? But, you being here...it's hard. Because, I loved you with my heart and soul and you have no idea how much it hurt me to see you dancing the night away with my brother...Who knew all along that you and I were seeing each other behind his back and yet, he never gave a shit, he never cared because all he wanted was you. But, he probably never wanted you, ached for you as much as I have!" Stefan yelled as he let go of the knot that he had started to untie on the boat and then he wiped his hands off of his jeans as he looked over at her.

Elena stood in front of him with her brown eyes filled with tears, spilling over the brim and her hands crossed over her chest. " I didn't leave him, because I'm selfish! I wanted what he had, the money to save my family, you knew that. You knew that without that money, we would have been homeless. But, when it came down to love. I knew that Damon would never love me like you did...purely, innocently. I'm never going to forgive myself for what I did to you, for how much I hurt you. My wedding day, my choice, the decisions I made leading up to it all.. The guilt. That, Stefan will kill me faster than being alone for the rest of my life..ever will." Elena told him solemnly as she swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Stop being so dramatic. Ha, you're not going to be alone for the rest of your life. Elena, even if you and I aren't sneaking around anymore or whatever it was that we were doing back then...I still want to be a part of your life. Even if I'm with someone else." He told her as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, relishing in the contact and the warmth that her small arms gave him as she too wrapped her arms around his waistline, exhaling deeply.

"Seriously?" She asked in an almost disbelieved tone.

Stefan nodded as he hugged her tighter and whispered into her ear, sending chills down her whole body. "Of course. I love you, Elena and that won't ever change. No matter where we are in life, I promise you that." Stefan said as he leaned away from her and brushed his hand against her damp checks, wiping away the stray tears that had fallen. As he watched her close her eyes against the touch of his hand against her cool skin.

"I'm sorry, I just..." She began to explain as Stefan gave her a weakened smile and leaned into her, kissing her lips softly. He wrapped his arms around her waistline, bringing Elena closer towards his body as he heard her gasp.

Stefan's eyes met hers as she locked her eyes with his, widening them at the fact that he kissed her. He let go of her as he brushed a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry.." He told her as he paused and stepped back . "It's just an old habit...Why don't we um, get out to what I wanted to show you. Before you have to leave that is." He told her, swallowing hard as he watched Elena give him a small smile, before nodding at him in agreement.

* * *

He had rowed them out to a small and somewhat secluded part of the isle around the coastline. He laughed as Elena reminisced about a time when it was just the two of them, like it was now. Spending the whole day alone without much interruption from anyone. Damon had been on a business trip and she had told her parents that she was spending time with some friends up in Santa Barbara area, leaving her cell phone behind, so that she could truly be alone with Stefan.

"Do you remember the time that you took me out to Santa Barbara...You had tried too hard to make it a surprise but the smile on your face and the brochures about a beach rent had given it all away?" She told Stefan as she leaned her back against the boat.

He nodded as he laughed too. Stefan had planned a whole surprise getaway for them, that had backfired due to the fact that he had forgotten to hide the brochures about the beach rental that he had gotten them for the weekend. "It could of happened to anymore. I was excited to get you all to myself..I had missed you so much." He told her as he looked out toward the upcoming shoreline and smiled a bit at the memory of Elena's eyes widening when she had found the brochures about the beach rental in the back seat of his car

"Yeah...Stefan, do you think that we would of been good together. I mean, if it would have been different circumstances and if I hadn't-" Elena began to say as she too looked out towards the coastline and smiled, she could tell that there was a small town with nearing lights, filled with shops that he for one, knew that she would like.

"I know, we would have been amazing together. Everything happens for a reason. I blame the circumstances that we were under. I think that maybe, you and I would have gotten married and started a family together. If things would have been different. I know that you would of stayed with me, because I'm never going to forget the look in your eyes the morning you left the room after we had been together. You looked scared to death and unsure about it, marrying my brother. So, know this. I don't blame you and I don't blame Damon. Because, I know how important family is." He told her softly as he looked back towards the coastline that was closing in on them, as he rowed them closer to the docks.

* * *

**A/N: Hey All! So that was CH.11! Hope you guys liked it. I honestly think that I will be having about 1-2 more updates about this story, before I call it complete. Unless, I come up with another idea for it. Anyways, Thanks for reading and Thank you all for reviews, they all mean a lot to me!**

**-Until Next Time-**

**Follow Me on Twitter Green_Eyes1989 for updates! **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:  
**** Hey All! Thank you guys so much for the interest in this story! I've loved reading all of your reviews! Here's Ch.12...It's going to be the final chapter to this one! Thank you all so much for reading & I hope you like it! **

* * *

**CHAPTER TWELVE-Holding You Closer Than Most- **

He stayed silent as she watched him retie the small boat to a post by the dock. She smiled a bit as his muscles flexed and then he bent down and placed his hands on his knees, exhaling.

"Have fun today?" Stefan asked her as she locked her eyes with his and wordlessly nodded.

"Yeah, Thank You! So, how'd you find this little place?" Elena asked him as she continued to watch him secure the boat and then he extended his hands toward her, helping her out of the boat with ease. Stefan watched as Elena smiled wider when her feet hit the docks and she too exhaled, taking in the smell of the salty sea air around them.

"I came out here a lot when I missed everything..." He swallowed the words, _when I missed you, the most._ Instead, Stefan's voice trailed off as he watched her place her hands on her hips and examine their surroundings. He watched her gaze switch from the light blue ocean and then onto the white colored buildings and dark blue rooftops on each building that lined the coastline.

"My God, I've never seen anything so beautiful..." Elena's voice trailed off as she looked over at him. His rough hands were deep into the pockets of his jeans and the tight grey shirt that he was wearing defined his abs as he smiled at her.

"How'd you know to come here...I mean, after you left." She asked him. She watched as Stefan lifted his head up at her, his gaze looking past her and towards the buildings and water that surrounded them.

"I remembered. Alright. I remembered your words from all the times that we were together...Elena how could I forget that. You were everything to me and yet, you choose Damon. I remembered making love to you until the sun came up and seeped through the damn blinds. The way your skin set on fire when I touched you, the way you spoke my name as if I was the only person you were thinking of. So, excuse me when I tell you that I remember, everything you've ever told me. The morning you left the hotel room, you told me that if we ever got the chance to meet again, that it would be in Italy." Stefan confessed as he once again watched Elena's eyes blink away unshed tears.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you that I've listened to every dream you've had, every wish you've made and every single breath you've taken. I know you inside and out and I'm a damn fool for thinking that we could ever move past this and have a life together. That's why, I took you out here..so, that we could say our proper goodbyes. Because, once you get on that plane..I know for a fact that I'm probably never going to see you again." Stefan told her as he watched her step closer towards him, her hands trembling as she gripped onto his shirt and exhaled when she felt his chest crash against her small frame.

"This is it? We're saying goodbye in the one place that I thought would become our paradise together." Elena said almost inaudibly as she clutched onto the fabric of his shirt and placed her head on his shoulder, kissing the crock of his neck.

She felt his body tense up as he held her, standing on the dock as mists of water sprayed at their feet. He cleared his throat as he tried to hide the sound of his broken voice. "This is it, you go back home and I go back to Leah. I'm never going to forget you Elena, please know that. I want you to remember that what we had was a romance that can't be forgotten, a once in a lifetime love. But, all great things must come to an end and yes, this is it..this my goodbye to you." He told her solemnly, as she lifted her head slowly from his shoulder and their eyes locked on each others. Stefan slowly brushed a strand of her hair that had been blowing in the wind as he watched her lean towards him, closing her eyes as her warm and soft lips found his.

The kiss, gentle and sweet. The way that their arms wrapped around each other's bodies, felt like home as he pulled her closer and ran his hands though her messy hair. "I'm never going to forget you, Stefan. How could I? You're the only person that I've ever truly loved." She whispered against his lips as she broke the kiss and tried her hardest to engrain his features in her mind, she never wanted to forget him. The way his green eyes shined with happiness when he spoke her name or the way his lips tasted, warm and sweet, like honey.

They stood there in silence for a long time, holding each other as they looked out towards the water and the small waves that crashed against the coast. "I should get you back to your hotel." He told her as he felt her bury her head under his chin and exhale deeply as she nodded without saying a word.

* * *

After a half hour boat ride, she had made it back to the hotel room and packed. She couldn't bear to say another heart breaking goodbye to Stefan as they had parted ways after they got back to the shore. Once again crying and holding each other for the last time as he told her that if only things would have been different. She knew what he meant, if only things would have been different and she hadn't done all those things to hurt him or his brother like she did all those years ago. It was a lesson learned, the hard way and she had to live with the consequences of it all.

Her flight was in an hour and she didn't even want to call Damon, she hadn't spoken to him since their fight and she wanted to keep it that way. So, out of all the people that she knew would listen to her and the one person who knew all of her secrets, she called Caroline. The ringing in her ears made her head hurt as she waited for her to pick up.

"Hello?" Caroline asked. Sounding groggy and exhausted. Probably from all the work she had been doing lately with working as a nurse.

"Care, It's me. I'm sorry that I called you...I just didn't know who else to call. I'm leaving Italy tonight. I just, I don't know if I can go home...I can't face Damon yet. I just-" Elena tried to explain as she zipped up her suitcase with both hands and wedged her cell phone against her shoulder and her head.

Caroline exhaled deeply and then yawned. "Sweetie, It's okay. I know. Elena, you come home and you can stay with me, until you figure things out. Talk to Damon and try to make things work with him...in a civil manner. You don't want a messy divorce." Caroline told her, Elena smiled at her words, Caroline was right, the last thing she wanted was to be alone and newly single with a pissed off ex-husband.

"You're right. But, I'll talk to him first and I'll keep your offer in mind. I'll be home soon. Thank you!" She exclaimed as she wished more than anything that she could hug Caroline, the best friend that she had always counted on and the one who seemed to be the most sensible out of them all.

* * *

The hours passed as she got to the airport and waited for her flight. She had been flipping through her contacts, when her hands stopped on his name. She had to talk to him, even if she hated him at the moment. Setting things straight was better than hating each other for what they had both been guilty of, loving too much and too little.

The sound of his sleepy voice made her stomach tighten and then she exhaled deeply when he heard him say "Elena, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done what I did to you or to Stefan. I'm a selfish man and all I wanted was you. Please tell my brother that I'm sorry." He told her in a broken tone as he cleared his throat.

"Damon. When I get back home, I'm moving out. I need to get away from you, from the memories of Stefan and from everything that reminds me of what I've done to the both of you. I'm sorry too. I just wanted to call and tell you that I'm coming home soon and that I'll sign the divorce paper's once I get home. We need a clean break from each other, Damon. It would be best for the both of us..." Her voice trailed off as she overheard the airport workers announce that her flight was now boarding.

"Okay, I understand. But, I just don't want you to hate me. Please know that I'm sorry for what I did to you and Stefan. He was right, you should have been with him all along, not me. I'm not the one for you, Elena. He is. He deserves you." He told her sadly.

Elena swallowed the lump in her throat as she thought about what Stefan had told her..._Go back to Damon and I'll go back to Leah..._"It doesn't matter anymore. Stefan and I are done for good...Damon, truth be told...neither of you ever deserved me..I toyed with you both and strung you a long for so long that it was selfish and hurtful. So, that's why I think the divorce needs to be a clean break for both of us. You can take whatever you want, all I need to know is that we'll all one day, be okay." She told him as she got up and straightened out her back, cracking her neck to the side and smiling to herself when she felt the small rush of pain from the popping sound.

"We will all be okay, I can promise you that. We'll all be okay." He told her confidently as he exhaled deeply, registering his own words as he repeated them. Damon heard Elena exhale too as she cleared her throat and for a split second he could swear that maybe she was smiling on the other end. "I know. I know, that time heals all wounds. All of us..Me, You and Stefan will be okay." She repeated as she swallowed the lump in her throat and quickly told Damon goodbye as she wiped the falling tears from her eyes.

As she followed the growing line of passengers who were boarding the plane from Amalfi to LAX, Elena felt a sense of warmth in her chest as she repeated Damon's words in her mind..._"We'll all be okay..I can promise you that." _Elena told herself as she took a deep breath and took a step onto the plane, not wanting to look back. But, wanting to look forward to the unknown future that she and all of them faced, it made her smile to know that she wasn't alone, that they would all get through their uncertain futures together.


	13. Epilogue

**A/N: Hey All! So, I know that it's been a long time since I said that I would probably do an epilogue for this story. But, I finally decided to write something up for it and finish this story.I kind of felt like I left it "unfinished". Anyways, this isn't really my best work...But, I hope you all like it! **

**Thanks so much for reading and Enjoy!**

**Also...Please note that this Epilogue takes places 2 years later after Ch.12!**

* * *

**EPILOGUE-Holding You Closer Than Most- **

**_Two Years Later..._**

Elena had signed the divorce papers, moved out of the house and with the help of Caroline and Bonnie moved into a small one bedroom studio apartment and had even started dating a bit.

But, it surely had been a year of changes for everyone. She and Stefan had kept in touch, tried to at least, even if on some days it felt weird and awkward to speak with him. She still felt like she needed to try and make it work with him, just being friends and rebuilding a friendship when there was so much hurt and pain in what they used to be. Elena truly felt like she owed it to him to try, after everything that had happened..Talking to him and keeping it touch, was the least that she could do.

It was odd though, since the day in Amalfi out on the water, the day that she left him and went back home to divorce Damon. Elena hadn't stopped thinking about Stefan, about the ways she had hurt him in the past and feeling the guilty creeping up in side of her, made her apologize over and over again for her wrong doings, once again bringing up the fact that she shouldn't have strung them both along like she did and that she still deep down within her heart, still held a small piece of hope for them.

On the other hand, Damon and Elena had tried to reconcile, but failed at it miserable. Even though he had told her that all he wanted to do was make sure that they were okay, she knew that what he really wanted was for her to be okay, to be positive that she was doing the right thing by walking away from both of them, both of her beloved Salvatore boys.

Yes, it had been two years since they had gotten divorced and she had tried to figure things about, but Elena was alone, so alone that it hurt to see everyone else slowly moving on with their lives. Like, Caroline and Bonnie had moved on with theirs. Settling down with great guys and here she was, Elena Gilbert. Single, divorced and still looking for that one person, for that spark that she had only felt once in her life, once with the one person that she had pushed herself away from the most.

* * *

Stefan had gotten sick of being far away, he missed home more than anything. So, it wasn't much of a surprise when he had packed his bags and told Lexi that he was going back to California.

Lexi had almost tried to even go with him, but she knew what he was really doing, what he was searching for that he felt like he was missing in these last few years since she had left him, alone on the docks without much of promise of reuniting with him at all.

So, with a quick hug and goodbye to Lexi. Stefan set off, buying a last minute ticket back home and having Lexi drive him to the airport early in the morning, coffee in hand and a hopefully smile on her face.

"Are you sure about this?" Lexi asked, shutting off the car as she turned towards him.

"Lexi, I know it's crazy and I must be completely insane. But, she's the only thing that I've tried to forget, but I find myself thinking about her more and more lately, So..I just-" He began to say as he looked over at her. Lexi's eyes glued to him.

"You want to see if those feelings that you had for her are still there. Okay, okay I get it. But, you just broke up with Leah and do you really think it's a good idea if you go and 'catch' up with Elena when you're so vulnerable?" Lexi asked him, watching as Stefan shock his head.

"Well, I guess we'll have to see. I talked to Elena briefly a few times and it seems fine if we see each other again. She moved out of their house and she's finally divorced him. She told me that she's been dating on and off for a while now. So, I'm just going to visit Damon...maybe.. and, catch up with Elena later. That's all." Stefan told her with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You're going to be gone for 3 months...I have a feeling that you're going to be doing a lot of catching up with Elena." Lexi said in a teasing manner as she pushed him against the door and watched as Stefan laughed.

"I'll miss you too! I better get going before I miss my flight." Stefan told her, leaning over the console as he hugged Lexi tightly and then opened the door and exited the car.

"Make sure you call when you get ready to come home! I'll be waiting on you too ya know!" She told him before he watched her place the car in drive and leave him standing on the curb, watching her drive away.

* * *

The next morning, the sun shined on her face as sat in the same cafe like she did every single morning at 10am. Listening and watching all the people pass by and move on with their lives as Elena took her cell phone and checked it. 2 missed calls from Damon, probably wanting to meet up for lunch or something.

Even though he had done what he did to her, Elena still was in a deal with him about not wanting things to get ugly with each other. So, she would check up on him every once in a while and make sure that he was doing fine. Damon on the other hand would invite Elena to dinner on occasion and they would just sit and talk, mostly just about the past and if he had heard anything else from Stefan.

So, just like every other week or so that he would call her. Elena would answer in a cheerful tone, trying to hide the fact that her heart still hurt a bit when she had found out that just recently, her ex-husband was dating someone new and here she was, alone..still single.

As she nervously called Damon back, Elena thought about all the things he had done to keep her away from Stefan, the anger boiling as she shook her head and took a deep breath..remembering her one promise to herself..being civil with her ex-husband was necessary for moving forward.

"Hey, Elena! Good Morning!" Damon nearly shouted into the cell phone, causing her to push the phone back away from her ears an inch or two.

"Hey, um..I saw that you called me. Is everything alright?" She asked him, trying not to sound too concerned.

She heard him let out a laugh as he exhaled. "Yeah, everything's great! uh, I actually was calling you because the girlfriend and I are throwing a little house warming party and I was hoping that you could make it. Bring a date even, if you'd like." He told her, his voice sounding uncertain as he heard her take a staggered breath.

"Damon, I don't think that would be a good idea..I mean, you and me in the same room..it would just be-" She began to say in a protesting manner as he cut her off again.

"Come on, Elena. Please, I know that you and I have both had our differences. But, I would really love it, if you came. I mean it's just I-" She could hear him ranting, going on and on about how much it would mean to him and how much it would mean to all of "their" friends.

Yet, all she could focus on was the guy who had just walked into the cafe that she had been frequenting so much lately. His dark brown jacket crumpled in the back, dark wash jeans nicely fitted and that same brown hair and stance that she had seen so many times before with his hands in his pockets and his legs spread apart a bit.

It couldn't be..her mind was playing tricks on her because the last time she had seen someone stand like that, dress like that even was_ him _and from the last phone call she had made to him...he had made it clear that he was staying in Europe, traveling throughout the world and seeing everything there was to see..all before he had decided that he would propose to his girlfriend, Leah.

Elena got up quickly, telling Damon that she had to go as she straightened out her purple blouse and white pencil skirt, turning around for a brief moment to catch her breath and throw her coffee away. But, just as she got up. Right when she was about to take her purse off of the table that she had been sitting at, his eyes on her face stopped her.

* * *

There he stood. Stefan Salvatore, the man that she had loved and lost and secretly loved all over again. The man that she had her bitter sweet goodbye with, thinking that they would never see each other again and thinking in the moment that the best thing for the both of them was to finally set each other free.

However, as she watched him turn to walk out of the cafe and into the street. He stopped moving, locking his surprised green gaze upon her face. A smile lingering on his lips as she did the same, grabbing her purse and slowly walking in the same direction as him. Elena had remembered something that her mother had told her when she was a small child...Something that she had always held close to her heart and believed in firmly as an adult.

_"If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were..."_

**-The End- **


End file.
